The Emperor's Pendant
by MiniEllie
Summary: Mulan's back in the army, Chien-Po's ill, Shang's in love but is too shy to admit it, Yao's betrothed, Ling makes a discovery and out there, a big bunch of Huns are coming to get them...
1. Memories from the Past

**Disclaimer:** _I, sadly, don't own any of the Mulan characters or whatever. If I did, I wouldn't be writing on this fanfiction. _

_But I do own my own characters. Thanks!_

**CHAPTER ONE – Memories from the Past **

_A/N: I don't think Disney mentions several surnames so I've made them up. Also, forgive me if I use 'modern' language like 'Hey!' because I'm not sure what they would have said in Mulan times. Oh, and also, I'm going to refer to Ling, Yao and Chien-Po as the 'Gang'. Thanks!_

Mulan lay lazily on her bed, painting a picture of mountains and birds. She had been at home for about three weeks. Since leaving the palace, Mulan had had no contact with anyone from the Imperial City or her friends.

'_Well, bang goes another dream of being accepted by society_,' Mulan thought sadly and stabbed at her picture, sending dots of ink flying.

She yawned and rolled off her bed. Standing up, she straightened out her dress and wandered into the garden. She sat down on the bench, amongst the spring blossoms, her thoughts turning back to the war.

Her side hadn't fully healed from the slash by Shan-Yu but she could still walk, run and generally move about. Most of her thoughts about the war were blurred, mixed together and running out like a cinema reel. Her training days were clear, she could see Yao's angry face when he offered her a 'knuckle sandwich', Ling's innocent face as he knocked over her cannon support, Chien-Po's cringing face as Shang ordered them to 'pick up every single grain of rice'...Shang...

Mulan's dreamy expression returned as she thought about her Captain. She wondered whether he had been promoted to General, in his father's place. She could still see his face in front of her eyes as clearly as if he was standing right in front of her. His deep eyes had a certain charm about them, the way they sparkled when they took a second chance at you. She had fallen in love with him the first time she had ever seen him, when she had started a large fight at the training camp. Just thinking about him and his last visit made Mulan blush and smile to herself.

FLASHBACK (After Shang accepted the invitation to dine with Mulan and her family):

"Dinner would be great," Shang answered and then smiled at Mulan. That smile! It made her feel weak at the knees whenever she remembered it.

"Okay then," Fa Zhou took the helmet out of Mulan's hands and walked towards the garden gate _(A/N: that big circle hole leading into the garden)_ "I'll leave you two to have a talk while we prepare dinner," Her father turned and walked gracefully through the gate. Fa Li followed him, and then Grandma Fa, after winking at Mulan. Mulan rolled her eyes.

"So..." She started, turning back to Shang.

"So..." He smiled awkwardly at her, and then turned his eyes to his feet. Mulan knew that his shyness was because she was now a woman to him, so it made talking a lot more difficult.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked. _At least,_ she thought,_ there'll be something to do if we don't talk, even if it is just walking_.

"Sure," He answered. They walked off to the bridge where Mulan stared down at her reflection. She could see Shang looking at her and she blushed before turning her head towards the Fa family shrine.

"What's that?" Shang asked following her gaze. _Nice Shang, _he thought,_ what a stupid question. I have a family shrine in my garden at my house. So far, 0/10 for conversation. _

"That's the family shrine," Mulan answered, looking at it. Then she turned back to Shang, who was reddening and shuffling his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just...have a stone in my shoe," Shang cringed inside. Mulan looked confused. _Brilliant. _Shang thought._ Well, you totally suck at talking to people. No, not people, women. No, women who have saved your lives twice in particular. Wait, that's it!_

"Oh, Mulan. I just wanted to say thanks for saving my life twice. I really owe it to you," He smiled. _Thank God. You said a decent sentence. Well done Li Shang. So from now on, think before you speak! Think before you speak! _Shang grinned to himself.

"Oh, that's ok. Well, I sort of had to save you in that avalanche because you were my captain and in the palace, because it wasn't your fault that Shan-Yu didn't get the emperor," Mulan replied, smiling back.

"Well, just so you know," He said then paused. The uncomfortable silence came creeping back in. "So, what have you done since you got home?" He asked.

"Not much. I only got back home a few minutes before you came," Mulan answered.

_Damn it! I knew that! _Shang cringed again._ Shang, you really are bad at talking. What did I just say? Think before you speak! Think, think, think!_

Mulan grinned to herself. She could sense Shang's embarrassment and she found it funny, watching the way her brave captain went to pieces while trying to talk to her.

After that, Mulan brought up the subject of the war, which they were both able to talk about without getting embarrassed or not having enough material to talk with. The subject of the war carried them all the way through dinner as well.

Mulan's parents and grandmother could see that love was blossoming between the two of them. Mulan was polite to Shang, and he treated her with a lot of respect. Fa Zhou smiled to himself as she saw his beloved daughter bond with her captain and the way that both of them would blush when someone (normally Grandma Fa) bring up the subject of love, engagement or marriage.

After dinner was over, Mulan went with Shang to collect his horse from the stables and lead him to the front yard.

"I guess I'll see you around sometime," She smiled at him.

"Yeah. I'll be in touch or I'll come round again. Your father said I would always be welcome," Shang answered.

"You would," She added. Shang smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. Mulan could feel her heart melting inside.

"Bye," She said as he got onto his horse. He smiled at her, and then galloped out the yard, without looking back.

END FLASHBACK

"What are you thinking about?" Mulan glanced up and saw her elderly grandmother hobbling over to her.

"Nothing Grandma," Mulan said, but her blushing cheeks gave her away.

"Are you thinking about a certain captain?" Grandma Fa asked. Mulan flushed and looked down at her feet. "I was right!" Grandma Fa said.

"Is it that obvious?" Mulan asked, looking up at her Grandma. Grandma Fa came and sat down next to Mulan, and looked at her blushing granddaughter.

"Yes, if you really want to know," Grandma Fa said. She sniggered and Mulan started to smile as well.

"Shame that I haven't seen him for weeks. Shame that I haven't seen anybody for weeks," Mulan answered sadly.

"Oh well. Maybe you'll see them later," Grandma Fa added limply. Mulan smiled and gave her grandmother a hug.

Then they heard the war-drum being beaten and the sound of hooves came drifting over to them. Mulan glanced at her grandmother and they both ran to the gate.

Fa Zhou and Fa Li were standing at the open gate. Fa Zhou told Mulan to stay back, but as usual, she clambered over the roofs and was greeted with a merry sight.

Li Shang was sitting on top of his white horse, looking very regal and proper. Next to him, not looking quite as regal, were her three friends, Chi Yao, Huang Ling and Mai Chien-Po.

Ling turned around to look at the villagers and then noticed Mulan perched on the roof.

"Hey Mulan!" He called and waved. Yao, Chien-Po, Shang and all the villagers around them turned to look at Mulan, who started to blush slightly.

"Hey," She called back and smiled. Yao and Chien-Po both grinned too, but Shang just acknowledged her with a nod and turned back to the villagers. Mulan raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"People! We are sorry to inform you that certain enemies have crossed the Great Wall. We will need one man from every family to join the Imperial Army," Shang paused. "Again," He added after some thought, then started to list surnames, while Ling, Yao and Chien-Po left his side and trotted into the Fa's yard.

Mulan scrambled down from the roof and ran across the yard, straight into the arms of her three friends. Chien-Po picked up her and swung her around. She burst into laughter, her cheeks flushed and hair whipping out behind her.

Chien-Po put her down, grinning insanely. They turned around to see the villagers staring at them, including Shang. Both Mulan and Chien-Po began to blush.

Shang shook his head at them and continued calling out names to the villagers.

"Actually Mulan, we do need to talk to you," Yao said. She nodded and gestured them away from the gate and closer to the house, her parents following.

"The emperor has requested that you join the army again. But, he says that if you don't wish to, then he understands," Ling said.

Mulan's eyes widened. She began to feel different emotions at once. She had enjoyed the company of her three friends immensely during her first stay at Wu Zhong and the three-week separation from them had left her lonely. She also liked the idea of getting to know Shang a bit better. She knew him pretty well, but she had been posing as a man for most of the time she was around him, so, she figured, he might act differently around her as she was now a woman in his eyes.

However, she was worried about leaving her parents again. Her father had told her that she had broken his heart when she had left, and she didn't want to leave him thinking and feeling those sort of feelings again.

"Yeah, I'd like that," She answered determinedly to Yao then turned to her parents. "Mama? Baba?"

Her parents turned to each other, their faces grave.

"Give us a minute," Fa Li said, and then she walked to the side and began to talk to Fa Zhou. Mulan and the Gang exchanged discouraging looks.

"You do want to, don't you?" Ling asked Mulan. She nodded.

"Yes I do. I did have a lot of fun at Wu Zhong," She paused. "It was the only place I really felt accepted. After the arrow incident, of course,"

"Sure, it's nothing to do with the fact you know you're going to be spending more time with our illustrious general?" Yao sniggered. Chien-Po elbowed him in the back.

"General?" Mulan questioned.

"Shang!"

"He got promoted?" Mulan asked. The Gang nodded. "I didn't know that," Mulan added feebly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But you do want to see him, don't you?" Yao persisted.

Mulan shrugged, her cheeks becoming hot. "He's my friend,"

"You're blushing. It's more than that, isn't it?" Yao nudged her with her elbow. She glared at him.

"It's a hot day," Mulan lied. Chien-Po looked up at the sky, which was overcast and gloomy. Mulan noticed him looking up, and glanced up at the sky too. "Okay, fine. Maybe it's not hot. I just...blush easily,"

"Yeah, yeah," Yao crowed.

"Mulan?" She whipped around, her parents standing next to her. "We've agreed that you may return to the army," Mulan started to grin, but Fa Li continued, "on the condition that you come home with no sign of a scratch on you, like you did last time," Mulan nodded, but the Gang looked puzzled, but didn't say anything.

"Oh thank you Mama!" She gave her mother a hug, and then her father. She smiled at them, and her father smoothed her hair. "I promise I'll come home without a scratch,"

"Okay Mulan. You might want to leave with us today, instead of tomorrow with the other recruits," Ling said. Mulan nodded and disappeared into the house.

×××

Half an hour later, Mulan came out again, holding Khan by the reins. She was dressed in her training gear; her armour was slung onto the back of Khan. Her hair was down, because she couldn't be bothered to tie it up and everyone knew she was a girl so there was no point trying to hide it.

She brought Khan up to her parents and the Gang. She smiled at the Gang, who all jumped onto their horses. Mulan could see Shang waiting at the gate, but she couldn't see why he didn't come in.

She turned to her parents and gave them each a hug. Then she jumped onto Khan and smiled down at her parents.

"Don't worry Baba. I'll be fine," Fa Zhou looked at her sadly. He was worried about his daughter. He was extremely close to Mulan and he didn't want her to be so carefree with her life. He reached into his pocket and gave Mulan an object. She opened her hand and saw the blossom-comb from the matchmaking session lying in her palm. The Gang peered over her shoulder to look at what she was holding.

"Thank you, Baba," She reached down and gave her father a hug. Straightening up, she smiled and followed Ling out of the yard.

×××

Wu Zhong looked exactly the same as it had done when Mulan had first arrived there, except now it was evening. It was now completely empty, as all the recruits were scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning.

As they had been riding, Ling gave Mulan some important news.

FLASHBACK (During the ride):

"Yao, Chien-Po and I are now captains," Mulan noted a hint of pride in Ling's voice. "We got the titles just after you left the Imperial City a few weeks back,"

"Oh, congratulations," Mulan grinned at them.

END FLASHBACK

Mulan had been given a tent next to Ling's and in-between Chien-Po's. After setting up her tent, she came out and saw the Gang sitting on the grass around a campfire, at the far end of the tents. She went over and joined them, sitting next to Yao and Ling.

"So, what's going on with you now then?" She asked them.

"I'm betrothed now," Yao grinned. "I haven't met her yet, but I'm sure she's going to be perfect," A dreamy expression floated across his face when he thought of his fiancée-to-be. Mulan raised her eyebrows at Ling, who sniggered.

Behind Ling, Mulan could see Shang walking around, obviously with something on his mind. She was sad that he had not said anything to her but, she figured, he was a bit busy with the villagers. All the same, she had expected a 'hello' at least, unless you counted the nod as a greeting.

He looked different from when she had last seen him. His face looked tired and his shoulders were visibly drooping. She wondered if the stress of being General had caught up with him, or if something else was bothering him.

He suddenly turned and looked over at them. She turned quickly away and looked back at Yao, who was talking. She nodded, aimlessly, pretending she had been listening all along. She could almost sense Shang looking at them, her cheeks began to redden.

"Are you alright Mulan?" Chien-Po asked her. Mulan's head jerked up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She answered quickly.

Yao began to grin. "Is it because the general was looking over at us, before going into his tent?"

"Really?" Mulan turned around to find Shang still in the same position as before, still looking at them. Her face instantly turned red.

"Gone into his tent?" She shrieked as loudly as she could without Shang hearing.

"I was right then, wasn't I?" Yao began to laugh. Mulan shoved his shoulder and he toppled over onto Chien-Po. He pulled a face at Mulan as he pushed himself up. Mulan shook her head, her hair flying out.

She looked up and suddenly noticed a red flash amongst the forest trees that grew around the Wu Zhong camp. She got up and ran towards the forest. The Gang and Shang watched as she ran to the edge of the camp, over the bridge that provided a passageway across the stream and into the thicket of trees, bushes and ferns that grew in the forest.

The forest had clean air, probably because of all the trees. They grew thickly, but light shone in through the tree branches and a thick carpet of luscious green grass grew under Mulan's feet. Birds of different colours, shape and size cooed above her in the branches, making noises as they flew from tree to tree.

Mulan looked around and saw the red flash again. She ran over and snatched it out of the bush.

"Mushu!" She cried. Her friendly dragon guardian smiled at her from inside her hand.

"What's happening baby? Do you mind letting go of my neck now?" Mushu croaked. Mulan opened her hand and Mushu fell to the floor. She knelt down next to him.

"Sorry about that," She smiled at him and then sat down cross-legged on the grass.

"Yeah, no big deal," Mushu grinned at her and then Cri-Kee jumped out from next to him.

"Cri-Kee!" She said, her smile turning into a grin. "I missed you two a lot,"

"Yeah, well, you know that we can't come and see you unless we're needed, as guardians I mean," Mushu explained. Mulan nodded.

"Mulan?" She heard a voice calling her. She span around and saw Li Shang standing a few metres away from her, a look of concerned upon his handsome face. "Are you alright?"

She scrambled up, shoving Mushu behind her with her foot. "Yes, I'm fine," She smiled. Shang smiled back at her, and then came over to join her.

"I used to love this place. I came here as a boy, with my father..." He paused. Mulan began to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry about your father,"

Shang nodded. "My father had to bring me here, to this training camp. He didn't trust anybody at our house to look after me. He was rather...protective,"

"Where was your mother?" Mulan asked gently.

Shang sat down on the grass and motioned for Mulan to sit next to him. She went over and sat next to him, looking at his smooth profile. She couldn't help but admire his looks, his straight nose, stern mouth and deep eyes. She began to feel a funny tingling all over.

"She was at home. She didn't approve of me going into the army; she was too scared for my safety,"

"Oh,"

Shang looked around and smiled. "I used to love this place," He repeated. "I remember feeling it had a certain magic about it," He glanced around, his eyes resting on Mulan. "I don't feel it anymore. I've changed a lot since...I don't know when. All I know is that I'm not the same anymore,"

"Shang, you're not a young boy anymore," Mulan reasoned. "Now that you're older, you have more responsibilities and different things to worry about, to love and to feel things for," Mulan said, feeling shocked about what she had just said. She could feel her cheeks beginning to flush again, and she bent her head in order to hide it.

"I know. All the same..." His voice trailed off into silence. Mulan glanced up at him, her cheeks slowly turning back to their normal colour. Shang turned towards her and caught her staring.

"What?" He asked, beginning to smile. She loved his smile. It made him look so mischievous, like he was holding a secret which concerned you.

"Nothing," Mulan said, getting up. "We should go back now,"

"Yeah, you're right," He stood up, brushing the dirt off from his uniform. "Let's go,"


	2. Back at Wu Zhong

**Disclaimer:** _If it's in Disney Mulan, it's theirs. If it's not in Disney Mulan, it's mine. Cheers!_

**CHAPTER TWO – Back at Wu Zhong**

_A/N: Thank you to all my lovely reviewers!! Big thanks to narfgirl, Angel452, Julie, Dragon Spirit Fighter, alibi girl and JB who reviewed Chapter One before I wrote Chapter Two. But thanks to everyone who's reviewed!!!! _

_Oh, I have no idea of military ranks so; pardon me if I get them wrong! Shang is the highest, then Loon Fung, then The Gang. Thanks!_

The following morning Mulan woke to the sound of ringing bells. Startled, she sat up suddenly to see Mushu using Cri-Kee as an alarm clock. Giggling to herself, she picked up her socks and threw them at Mushu.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Mushu snapped, pulling the socks off his head. "You may think you smell divine, but believe me, not all of us share that view," Mushu hurled the socks back at Mulan, who caught them.

"Alright, alright. Where are my clothes?" Mulan pushed the blanket off her feet and started scrabbling around the tent looking for her training clothes. After dressing she went out of her tent to get a bit of air.

Mulan's tent was the left side of a square. Chien-Po was next to her, as the top, Yao then as the right side of the square and then Ling as bottom. Shang's tent and another was in the middle. There was supposed to be some sort of theory behind the extraordinary placing of the tents, which Chien-Po had tried to explain to her last night.

FLASHBACK (Last night):

"That's your tent," Chien-Po pointed at the tent, while walking around, Mulan trotting after him. "That's mine, that's Yao's, that's Ling's and that's Shang's,"

"We look like a big cross," Mulan commented and looked around. "Whose is that tent?" She pointed to the one next to Shang's.

"That's the Commander's. He's supposed to be arriving tomorrow as well. He's directly under Shang, in rank, so he's got to be next to him,"

Mulan rolled her eyes. "Stupid layout,"

"Yeah, I guess," Chien-Po said. "There's a theory that the General has his best soldiers around him, for protection,"

Mulan giggled. "I'm one of his best soldiers?"

"Sure," said Ling. "He said, 'you fight good', remember?" Ling sniggered.

"You heard that?" Mulan said, outraged.

"Oh yeah," Ling sniggered again. Mulan frowned at him.

"That, and Shang wants to be near you, because he's so in luurve," Yao cooed. Mulan flushed and made moves to punch him when Shang looked over from his tent.

_Oh god, please tell me he didn't hear. Please, please, please!! _Mulan prayed.

"What's going on?" He asked. Mulan dropped her fist and allowed Chien-Po to pull her back from Yao.

"Nothing," They all answered sullenly. Shang raised his eyebrows, but turned and left.

"Not going to punch me infront of lover boy?" Yao cooed again. Shang, this time, did hear. He turned around, his face going the exact same shade of red as Mulan's. Yao sniggered to himself.

A long silence stood there. Both Mulan and Shang were staring at the ground, their faces lobster-red. Yao and Ling were giggling and Chien-Po just stood there.

_Oh god. This is the longest silence EVER! Someone talk! Anybody!! _Mulan cringed and shuffled her feet.

_What's she thinking? Oh god. What the hell did Yao mean? Lover boy? I thought he called me 'Pretty Boy'. Oh god. Oh god. Someone talk! What do I look like? I'm going the same colour as my cape!_ Shang thought to himself.

"Yeah, well, I'm off to go set-up my tent," Chien-Po said, breaking the silence.

_Thank God for Chien-Po._ Mulan breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, good idea. I'm going to go do that too," She stuttered hurriedly, then rushed off to the sanctuary of her tent.

END FLASHBACK

×××

"What's up with you, Mulan?" Ling snapped.

"Huh?"

The Gang and Mulan were sitting in the eating tent. The recruits were meant to be arriving soon, but they had a few minutes for breakfast.

The eating tent was the largest of all the tents. It had ten sets of tables with benches on either side. The top table was reserved for the General and High Ranked Officers, but Mulan sat with them anyway.

"You're squishing a piece of rice in your chopsticks," Ling answered.

"Hmm,"

Suddenly, they heard hooves clipping over the bridge and pounding feet on the ground. The Gang and Mulan all looked at each other, then simultaneously got up and ran out the tent.

Shang was standing at the entrance of the tent, waiting for the lone rider to join him. His cape was waving in the breeze, and he looked very fit and muscular. Mulan could feel her heart melting slightly.

"Come on," Yao grabbed her arm and pushed her along, until they were level with Shang. He didn't turn to look at them. Mulan sighed and looked as the man dismounted off his horse.

He looked very similar to Shang. Both were young, dark-haired and muscular. This man had a small moustache growing, a sharp nose and dark eyes. They reminded Mulan of Shang, but she felt none of the deepness and mysterious that she always felt when she looked into Shang's eyes. Mulan giggled to herself.

"Loon Fung!" Shang went forward and embraced the man. Loon Fung gave Shang a hug back, and came out with a stream of fast Chinese.

The Gang looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. Yao coughed loudly. Shang and Fung broke apart, both grinning. It was a rare thing to see Shang smile; he was too serious a man to smile often.

"This is Commander Loon Fung. He was my best friend when I was growing up. Fung, these are the Captains: Chien-Po, Ling and Yao," Shang paused. Mulan frowned at him. "Oh, and this is Fa Mulan," Mulan sighed.

"This is a great honour," Fun smiled at the Gang, and then turned to Mulan, who was still frowning. "Fa Mulan. This is a bigger honour. It's quite a something to meet the heroine of China," He gave a short bow. Mulan bit her lips to hold her giggles in.

"Thank you," She replied. Yao sniggered. Mulan trod on his feet, causing Yao to cry out in pain and shock. Everyone turned to him, whose face was going red.

"Nothing," He said, hopping away. Ling and Chien-Po went after him, leaving Mulan, Shang and Loon Fung.

"Yeah, well. I'm going to go," Mulan smiled at both of them. "Nice to meet you," She turned and left, her hair rippling in the breeze.

Shang watched her go. He couldn't help but stare at her small figure, her waving hair, her delicate way of walking. He knew that he felt affection for her, but because it was so new and fragile, he didn't know if it was love or fondness for a comrade.

Fung followed his gaze, and grinned. "What you looking at Shang?" He asked mischievously. Shang turned quickly towards him and shrugged.

"Nothing,"

"Yeah, yeah. I saw you. What are you feeling for her?"

"Nothing,"

"Come on Shang! I saw the way you were looking at her. I haven't seen that look since we were twelve years old and you had that crush on May-Lynn!"

"You knew about that?!" Shang burst out, horrified.

"Everyone knew about it!" Fung replied. "Apart from her, of course," He added, as an after thought, rubbing his chin.

"May-Lynn was a long time ago. Come on, I'll show you your tent," Shang walked off in the direction of the tents, Fung trailing behind him.

"Come on Shang. Don't you want to talk about it?" Fung asked.

"There's nothing to talk about," Shang answered stiffly.

"Shang, she saved your life twice! Are you telling me you don't feel anything for her?" Fung snapped. Shang turned towards him angrily.

"Look! Of course I feel things for her! She's a friend, and all, if any, affection I feel for her is a friend!" Shang yelled.

Unable to control his brief anger, his yell had echoed around the camp. The Gang stuck their heads out from the eating tent, a few grains of rice falling from Ling's open mouth. Mulan came out from her tent, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly parted. Shang flushed bright red, his head dropping down to his chest. Fung began to smile.

"Uh...Shang and I are going to have a quick talk, okay?" Fung quickly said, pushing Shang into his tent.

The Gang turned to Mulan, who was blushing herself. She shrugged and walked back into her tent.

×××

As she sat down on her blanket, her thoughts drifted to what Shang had said. "_Of course I feel things for her! She's a friend, and all, if any, affection I feel for her is a friend!" _

"Is that it?" She asked Mushu, who was sitting on the floor next to her. She could feel her eyes beginning to brim over. "Is all he feels for me, is a friend way?"

"Oh, come on babe. You know he likes you more than that," Mushu said.

"How do I know? He's everything I've ever dreamed of, ever since I was a little girl," Mulan said, a few tears dripping down. Mushu handed her a tissue, and Mulan blew her nose dolefully.

"Honey..." Mushu clambered up onto her knee. "Tell you what. If worse comes to the worse, I'll marry you," Mushu grinned insanely. Mulan began to laugh hysterically.

Her laughter carried out from her tent, drifting into the eating tent and Shang's tent, where Fung and Shang were.

×××

"She seems to be handling it well," Fung said, listening to Mulan's laughter. Shang glared at him.

"Handling it?! She's just got the wrong end of the chopstick!" Shang snapped.

"Its wrong end of the stick, Shang," Fung corrected him.

"God!"

"Look, why are you so worried about it? She's your friend, she'll understand,"

"I just...I just don't want her to know about anything," Shang answered, hesitantly.

"Ah-ha! So you do feel something!" Fung grinned. "And it's not just affection for a comrade now, is it?"

"Maybe you're just letting your imagination run away with you. I do not love Mulan, she does not love me. End of story!" Shang snapped.

Suddenly, the tent flap opened and the Gang stuck their heads in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted if you guys had time for a chat," Chien-Po asked. Without waiting for a reply, Yao and Ling marched in and sat down on either side of Fung.

"So, what's happening?" Ling asked as Chien-Po sat down next to Yao.

"Shang thinks he's falling in love with Mulan," Fung said before Shang could say anything.

"Fung!" Shang yelled. The Gang burst out laughing.

"You love Mulan?" Yao spluttered.

"No, I don't!" Shang snapped.

"I bet you do," Ling smirked.

"No, I don't!" Shang repeated. "She's my friend, okay?" The other four didn't say anything, but Shang could see them smirking. "Alright, don't believe me. I know me, and you don't," Shang sauntered out the tent, pleased with his last words.

In the distance he could see Mulan sitting on a fence-post next to the paddock, with Khan, her horse. He stood there watching her.

"_Do I really not love her? She makes me feel tingly inside whenever she's near, but that could just be nerves." _Shang tilted his head and looked at Mulan again._ "Nerves! God, you ARE stupid Shang. It's nothing to do with nerves. Or is it? No, don't be silly. Probably because you're not used to being around women. Yeah, that's it. You don't love her. Of course, you don't love her. She's your friend. That's fine. Nice Li Shang. I've just sorted the whole problem out. Oh yes!" _Shang punched the air, and then wandered off to the training grounds, a big smile on his face.

×××

Mulan, Mushu, Cri-Kee and Khan had spent most of the day in the forest, relaxing, talking, laughing and generally having fun.

When Mulan rode back to Wu Zhong, the new recruits were already there and settling in. Mulan couldn't help but stare at the transformation of the camp. Hundreds _(A/N: Maybe not hundreds, but you know what I mean!) _of white tents were placed in lines, forming a giant white square in a field of green. The post that Shang was to shoot an arrow into was in front of the eating tent, the paddock was at the far end, next to the bridge and the stream.

"Are you going to marvel at the beauty of this stupid camp, or are you going to move your butt down the hill?!" Mushu snapped angrily.

"Sorry!" Mulan answered, digging her heels into Khan's side. They galloped down the hill and over the bridge, where Chien-Po met them.

"There you are!" He gasped.

"Yes indeedy-oh. Here I am! Why, what's up?" Mulan asked.

"You where meant to be here about an hour ago! Shang's already going crazy. He's been yelling and all that," Chien-Po said. Mulan gulped.

"Where's he now?"

"He's in his tent. You better hurry. I'll take Khan for you," Chien-Po offered.

"Oh, thanks!" Mulan breathed a small sigh of relief. She jumped off Khan and ran into Shang's tent, without bothering to knock.

×××

Shang was sitting on a pillow when Mulan cam rushing in. One look at her breathless face and hair sticking up at all angles told him she had obviously been told that he was looking for her and had run to his tent.

"Where have you been?"

"I was in the forest. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were looking for me," Her face looked genuinely sorry and Shang could feel his anger ebbing away.

"That's okay. Just...just next time, tell someone where you're going," Shang smiled at her. Mulan grinned inside. _"Okay, so much for going crazy. Thank god he's not mad,"_

"I did tell someone. I told..." Mulan started then her voice drifted away as she was about to say 'Mushu'. She frowned.

Shang didn't believe her. "Well, just beware. Next time, I'll have to punish you," He couldn't help grinning.

"You seriously think you could punish me? Me? Little Mulan?" She fluttered her eyelashes then stopped. _"Oh my god. Am I flirting? God, I flirted! Argh! What? Why? Oh god, he's going to think I'm an idiot!" _

Shang looked at her, confusion on his face. _"Oh my god, did she just flirt? God, she just flirted! Argh! What am I meant to do? Am I meant to do anything? Oh god, she's going to think I'm an idiot. Do something! Anything!"_

"Sure..." The response sounded lame to his own ears. He flushed. Mulan looked at him, puzzled. Silence drifted around the room for a few minutes before Mulan broke it.

"What did you want to see me for?"

"Huh? Oh, do you and everyone else want to give me a hand training the new recruits?"

"Oh sure,"

"Good. Meet me at the pole in about...five minutes,"

"Sure,"

Mulan left the tent. Mushu bounded up to her as soon as she came out.

"So what happened?" He sounded very eager.

"What do you mean, 'what happened'? You were there, you were listening," Mulan snapped.

"I was not listening! I don't do that kind of thing!" Mulan stopped and looked at Mushu.

"Are you kidding?"

"No! Man, it was funny when you flirted," Mushu giggled, then subsided when he saw Mulan's raised eyebrows. "Okay, I listened. Just because I knew you would never tell me!"

Mulan stomped on the little dragon.

"Ow! Ouch! Mind your feet!" Mushu croaked. Mulan bent down next to him, picking up his limp form.

"Stop it, Mushu," She said.

"Alright, alright," He nodded, twisting himself out of Mulan's grasp. He landed on the floor with a surprisingly loud thump for such a small dragon.

×××

Shang looked at the new recruits. They definitely weren't 'war' material. Hopefully, days and days of vigorous training would sort out that problem.

"Soldiers!" He cried. The chatting and laughing immediately stopped, and the air was thick of tension and nervousness.

"This is Commander Loon Fung. He is my immediate inferior and you will show him respect and listen to his orders. These men are Captain Chien-Po, Yao and Ling," Shang paused again. Mulan frowned. _"Trust Shang to forget me...again!" _She thought to herself, grinding a stone under her shoe.

"And this is Fa Mulan. You will show her respect and take every order from her, or anyone else here, as you would from me. Is that clear?"

The soldiers nodded. Yao cleared his throat.

"I said, IS THAT CLEAR?" Yao bellowed. Shang turned to him in disbelief. Fung, Mulan, Chien-Po and Ling began to laugh and so did several of the recruits.

"Yao!" Shang snapped. He looked very angry. Mulan, Fung, Chien-Po, Ling and the recruits quickly stopped laughing.

"Just making sure..." Yao's voice trailed off and his face began to go pale. Shang glared at him. Yao shuffled behind Mulan, who was biting his lips to stop her laughing.

"Soldiers!" Shang turned his attention back to the recruits, who were sniggering amongst themselves. "Our first activity is poles across the water. Run to the river!" He yelled. The recruits began to run to the river, many laughing at the Yao incident.

Shang turned to the four officers, and Mulan.

"I'm going to ignore that incident Yao. I hope you use your new position for some good, not flaunting it. Now go to the river," He ordered. They nodded, and walked to the river.

×××

The river had a small waterfall at the end, where the recruits were lining up to cross the poles. The dark water swirled beneath them, making all of them uneasy. It wasn't that deep, but it was cold and the blackness of it made it look deep.

Fung stepped forward.

"Gentlemen!" He called out. They all turned towards him. "Each person will run across the poles and stop on the other side, forming an orderly line. We will now watch Captain Ling as he demonstrates this exercise,"

It was unfortunate that he should pick Ling because he was slightly afraid of water and wasn't all that good at the exercise.

Swelling up his chest, Ling walked forward, aware that everyone was watching him.

"I bet he falls in," Mulan hissed to Yao.

"I bet he won't," Yao said. He regretted saying this almost immediately because he knew of Ling's fear of water.

"If doesn't he fall in I'll do all the punishments that Shang gives you," Mulan said, spitting on her hand then holding out her hand to Yao. Yao spat on his own hand then shook Mulan's.

"Deal. If he does, I'll do all your punishments,"

The both turned back to Ling. He was staring at the poles, measuring the distance between each of them. Taking a deep breath he leapt onto the first pole then the second then the third and then...

SPLASH!

Ling had lost his balance on the fourth pole and had toppled into the water. This was greeted with gasps and laughter. An embarrassed Ling came up from the bottom of the river, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes.

Yao turned to Mulan as Chien-Po, Fung and the rest of the recruits went to help Ling out. Mulan was smirking.

"Does the bet still stand?" He asked her nervously.

"Of course. You have to do all my punishments now!" Mulan grinned. Yao glared at her and walked away.

×××

After the pole exercise, Fung had taught them archery. A disgruntled Ling demanded to be excused from this exercise. Fung had excused him and it made everybody laugh hysterically as they watched him traipse back to the tents, water dripping down from his tunic.

None of the recruits had any success in archery. Fung picked Mulan to demonstrate this exercise and she put on a much better demonstration than Ling by getting all her plums on the arrows to hit the targets.

As the recruits attempted to fire their arrows, Mulan, Fung, Chien-Po and Yao walked around giving them advice. In the end only one recruit managed to fire an arrow that hit a plum and his target.


	3. Kidnapped

**Disclaimer:** _Again...I don't own anything except Loon Fung, and some new characters that you haven't met yet... Cheers anyway!!_

**CHAPTER THREE – Kidnapped**

_A/N: I want to say a BIG BIG thank you to all my reviewers. Big thank you to Sam, pepe ok, Mii-chan1, Lynn12, narfgirl, shun yi, Hero, TO and Sharpshot for reviewing Chapter Two and a big special thanks to Dragon Spirit Fighter and Angel452 who reviewed both my chapters. _

_I'm sorry that I didn't write enough about the war and everyone freaking out about it, but I'll do some more in later chapters. Thank you, I love you all!!_

Despite having only been at Wu Zhong for a few hours, Fung was now a firm favorite with everyone. Shang was already his childhood friend so he didn't count, but Mulan and the Gang were getting on really well with him, as were the new recruits. Fung had a much more noticeable sense of humor than Shang, which made joking and laughing a lot easier with him.

×××

On the same evening of the arrival of Fung, Mulan was walking along the lake edge, with Mushu trotting along at her heels, when she heard a yell, a whoop and a large splash. She looked over at the middle of the lake and laughed.

"What are you guys doing?" She cried. The Gang looked over at her. Chien-Po and Yao were standing at the water's edge, looking at Ling, who was spluttering the middle of the lake. It was obvious that someone, probably Yao, had pushed him in.

"Having a swim," Chien-Po answered, grinning.

"Oh yeah? How come you're not in the water?" Mulan asked him.

"That can be changed!" Yao exclaimed, shoving Chien-Po in the back. Chien-Po collapsed into the lake, sending waves soaring across the water. Ling was pushed back two meters by the force and Yao and Mulan were standing at the edge, totally drenched. They looked like they had had a bath in their clothes.

"Oops," Chien-Po muttered.

"Screw it, you're already wet! In you come!" Ling grabbed Yao's ankle and dragged him into the water. Yao disappeared under the water and came up again, spluttering and panting for air.

Mulan began to laugh so hard that her stomach started to hurt.

"What's going on?" Fung came up from behind them and looked at the situation. Yao was crouching in the water, Ling was sitting on a rock, Chien-Po was swimming around and Mulan was leaning against a tree, fighting down the last of her giggles.

"Nothing," They all answered. Fung raised his eyebrows.

"Well, if you're doing nothing..." He walked slowly around then shoved Mulan into the lake. She toppled in and came up again, gasping.

"What the hell was that for?" She snapped.

"You said you were doing nothing!" Fung grinned. Mulan splashed him. "Hey! I just washed this yesterday!"

"Well, it's dirty! You need a bath," Yao said then he and Ling grabbed Fung by the arm and dragged Fung into the lake.

"Hey!" He spluttered, splashing Yao. Yao retaliated, sending rivers of water soaring over their heads and onto Fung and Mulan.

"Hey! I didn't splash you!" She yelled. Taking a deep breath, she ducked under the water and wasn't seen for about a minute. Yao looked around, wondering where she was, when he suddenly lost his footing and lurched forward and then disappeared under the water. A second later, Mulan came up, followed by Yao.

"That was for splashing me!" She argued.

"So you ducked me?!" Yao yelled, outraged.

"Calm down Yao. Swim around," Chien-Po said, swimming by. Ling sniggered from his post on the rock. Mulan and Yao frowned at him then swam over and pushed him off. He tumbled into the water.

Mulan and Yao scrambled onto the rock, both fighting for a position.

"Get off!" Yao snapped.

"I was here first!" Mulan said back. Then suddenly they both fell off. Coming up, they saw Fung sitting on the rock, a smug smile on his face.

"Oi!" Mulan, Yao and Ling yelled. They scrambled up and all four of them sat on the rock, pushing and shoving, until they heard someone clearing their throat. All five of them quickly turned around to see Shang standing at the lake's edge, arms folded and looking stern.

They all froze. It wasn't a good place to be found. Yao, Ling, Fung and Mulan were sitting on top of a rock, in the middle of a lake, in soaking wet clothes. Chien-Po was crouched in the water next to them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shang asked them.

"We were..." Mulan started. Shang raised his eyebrows at her.

"Nothing," Yao answered sullenly. He rolled off the rock, landing next to Chien-Po. Mulan went off next, then Ling and then Fung.

Back on land, the five of them stood facing Shang. His look was stern, yet his eyes were twinkling. Mulan wrinkled her forehead as Shang started laugh.

"You guys looked like you were having fun," He chortled. They all sighed with relief.

"Why didn't you join us then?" Yao asked, very relieved Shang wasn't angry because then he'd have to do two lots of punishments, his and Mulan's.

Shang shrugged. "You better get back and change," They all nodded and started trekking back to the camp, leaving water trails behind.

Mulan stayed behind to find Mushu, who had disappeared just before she got pushed into the water. Shang watched her as she started wandering around and peering into bushes.

"You lost anything?" He asked. Mulan turned to him.

"Oh...just my shoe," She lied. Shang glanced down at her feet, which were adorned with a small pair of black shoes.

"Really?" He smiled. Mulan looked down at her feet. She began to blush.

"Oh...err...um..." She began to stutter. Shang smiled and walked over to her. She looked up at him, wishing for him to kiss her.

She stared deeply into her eyes, which were sparkling. She could feel herself literally melting in front of him. _"Oh god, he's so handsome! I wish he would kiss me. Or do I? Yeah, that's the bit to think about, you stupid idiot! Oh, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me,"_

Shang reached forward and gently pulled a piece of water weed out of her hair. _"Or not..."_ Mulan thought. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"Thanks," She whispered. It didn't seem like the time for speaking loudly.

"No problem," He whispered back. She could feel her face flushing. However, Shang was still his normal color. _"That's weird. Normally he blushes too. Maybe this isn't embarrassing for him..."_

"You should probably get back. You might get a chill or something," he said, now in normal tones. She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. She turned and walked back up the path, Shang watching her until she disappeared.

"_What the hell was that? That was the perfect moment! Why didn't you just kiss her?" _Shang reasoned with himself._ "How could I? Then she'd know that I like her. Could I kiss her without her knowing? No...could I? No...no...NO!!! You can't kiss someone without liking them! Idiot! Shame...that was the perfect moment. Water weed...lame excuse," _Shang sighed.

×××

"What did you think then?" Mushu asked Mulan, when they were both sitting comfortably in her tent.

"About what?" She asked him, pretending to not know what he was talking about.

"I know you're dumb, but this is taking the piss!" Mushu snapped. "Hello?! I'm talking about the whole Shang thing at the lake!"

"So what? All he did was pull water weed out of my hair. No big deal,"

"No big deal? I bet I know what was going through your head,"

"Oh yeah? Tell me then, Mister-Smart-Ass,"

"Okay. I bet you were thinking '_Oh god, he's so handsome! I wish he would kiss me. Or do I? Yeah, that's the bit to think about, you stupid idiot! Oh, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me!_'"

"What? That's stupid, I'd never think of something like that!" Mulan protested.

"Am I right?" Mulan persisted.

"Yes!" Mulan snapped. Mushu burst out laughing.

"I can read you like an open book, Mulan. You should try to hide your feelings a bit more, my girl. I bet Shang knows about your crush," Mushu sniggered. Mulan threw the blanket at him.

"Listen here, you shrunken lizard, I have no feelings for Shang except friendly ones. I feel the same for him as I do for Chien-Po, Yao, Ling and Fung,"

Mushu, who was glaring at her as soon as the words 'shrunken lizard' left her mouth, suddenly frowned. "I bet Shang thinks you like Fung,"

"What?! Are you kidding?! I don't like Fung in that way!" Mulan cried, fuming.

"I know, I know. Shang would probably think you do. You did get on with him very well though," Mushu went on. Mulan jumped to her feet, quite taken over by sudden anger.

"Well, I'll go and tell him I bloody well don't!" Mulan yelled. She stormed out of her tent and was about to go bursting into Shang's tent when Mushu jumped in front of her.

"You're crazy! You can't go bursting in there, yelling. Then he'll think that you do! So just shut up and get back to your tent!" Mushu yelled.

A disgruntled Mulan allowed herself to be led back to her tent by Mushu. Back in the tent, Mulan lay down on the bed while Mushu covered her with the blanket.

"Cheer up babe," He said. Mulan nodded.

"Night," She whispered.

×××

Somehow, in the middle of the night, Yao and Ling had had a big row over something they weren't telling anybody and were avoiding each other. This was only half of it as tricks were played on each other, rows were very frequent and boastings of how brave each thought they were came out often. Mulan, Chien-Po and Fung, who had joined their 'Gang', were getting tired of this.

"Maybe we should trick them," Mulan said. She was sitting in the eating tent with Fung and Chien-Po. Shang had given them an hour for their lunch break and most of the soldiers took this opportunity to fill their stomachs and quench their aching thirsts.

"How?" Chien-Po asked her. Mulan looked around.

"I'm not sure, but we have to think of a really great trick," Mulan answered.

"Hmm," Fung thought and then he began to smile. "Of course! We have to start with the greatest trick of all time," He paused. "The Covering-Of-The-Toilet," He grinned. Chien-Po blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's the best trick ever. I have a brother, called Loon Gao and we used to play tricks on each other all the time. The Covering-Of-The-Toilet was the best one ever. We caught loads of people with it, even Shang," He smiled and Mulan began to laugh.

"How does it work?" Chien-Po asked.

"Basically, you cover the seat of the toilet with a see-through cloth or covering and when people go it'll spray out everywhere," Fung explained. Chien-Po cringed while Mulan giggled.

"That's perfect! We can set it so both Yao and Ling get hit by it!" She exclaimed. "That's it!" She paused. "Will Shang recognize it?" She turned to Fung, who shrugged.

"Probably,"

"Well that sucks," Chien-Po said. "He's the general, he'll never approve,"

"Screw that," Fung said. "I think it's a good idea. Let's go check the medical tent, they might have something,"

Mulan stood up. "Good," She left the tent, Fung at her heels.

The medical tent was exactly the same as the one that Mulan had been in when she had been discovered in the Tung Shao Pass, white with a red circle on it. A bed was on the right-hand side, boxes of supplies were at the back and odds and ends were on the left, along with a splint and a stretcher.

Mulan bent down next to a box and peered inside. Then she looked up and turned to Fung. "Okay, you look in those red ones and I'll do the green ones," Fung nodded and started rummaging around.

Mulan found bandages, ointment, splints and tea in her boxes while Fung found herbs and more ointment. Then Mulan pulled out a roll of see-through-ish cloth.

"How about this?" She asked Fung.

"Let's have a look," He said. Mulan chucked the roll over to him. He ran it through his fingers then held it up to the light.

"That's perfect," He smiled and then got up. "God, my knees are killing me," Mulan grinned and got up too.

"Maybe you're out of shape," She said. Fung glared at her.

"I'll get you for that!" He threw a handful of bandages at her, and then tore out of the tent, after Mulan, chasing her.

×××

Unknown to Mulan and Fung, Shang was watching them as Fung ran after Mulan, brandishing a roll of cloth.

"_God knows what they're going with that cloth. Looks like they're getting on..." _He paused and sighed. _"But Fung's my best friend. He knows I like Mulan so why would he go after her too?" _Shang shook his head, suddenly angry with himself._ "What the hell are you talking about? Fung's your friend! He knows about your feelings to Mulan, so he wouldn't! Stop thinking about your friends like that!" _Shang glared at himself.

He looked around his tent and sighed again.

×××

Mulan was leaning against the tree outside the toilets. Fung had gone into the toilet to cover the seats with the bandage cloth.

"God! He's taking a while, isn't he Mushu?" Mulan looked around. "Mushu? Where are you?"

"What's up sister?" He said, sticking his head out from the nearby tree.

"I said that Fung's taking a while, huh?" Mushu nodded.

"Yeah, well. He might be using the facilities too,"

"I hope he didn't put the cloth on first," Mulan sniggered. Fung came out, holding the rest of the cloth under his arm.

"Done," He said. Mulan smiled.

"Okay good. Go stick that back in the tent and don't look suspicious,"

"Right," Fung turned and went back to the medical tent, Mulan watching him. Then she saw Shang stepping out of his tent, wearing his training jacket over his bare chest _(A/N: That jacket-y thing he wore in 'Mulan' when he yelled "Soldiers!")_.

Mulan left her spot by the toilets and walked over to the pole. She lined up between Ling and Yao as they were still really pissed off at each other. Chien-Po was turning a blind eye to the whole argument, while Mulan and Fung took an active part, offering advice, tips in sparring and ways of tricking people. Shang had no idea about the row between his two captains and nobody was stupid enough to tell him.

Mulan didn't have a rank but she helped train the recruits with Shang, Fung and the Gang. Mulan normally went with Chien-Po as Shang and Fung paired up and so did Yao and Ling. As Shang had no idea about the difficulties between Yao and Ling, they were forced to partner up to demonstrate sparring to the recruits.

Angry with each other, neither was willing to give way. Ling was slightly quicker than Yao and could deliver a number of kicks and blows in rapid succession. Yao, being short, could dodge some of these, but was at the mercy of Ling's kicks. In the end, Shang broke apart the fight due to the fact that Ling had bitten Yao's arm and Yao, in revenge, had punched Ling so hard he flew back a few feet.

"Stop! Stop!" Shang yelled. Despite his yells, Ling was eager to use this opportunity to beat up Yao good and proper without anything saying anything, as they were meant to be demonstrating. He approached the lying-on-the-floor Yao, picked him up by the scruff of the neck and whacked him in the stomach. Yao managed to take this one and retaliate by a roundhouse kick, sending Ling flying into a tree. Everyone cringed. Mulan looked at Fung, who bit his lip.

Mulan and Fung went to pick up the unconscious Ling. Supporting him by the shoulders and Fung holding his feet, she hobbled over to where Shang was standing, his face bright red, yelling himself hoarse at Yao, who was being held by Chien-Po.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're meant to be giving a demonstration! Whenever I spar with Fung or anyone, do I bite them or send them flying into a tree?!" He bellowed.

Yao looked up. "What?! I never sent him into a tree!!"

"Yes you did!!"

"Oh! So what?"

"The point is that you were setting a really bad example for the new recruits!"

"Hey, it wasn't all my friggin' fault! Ling bit me, for god's sake! You never bite in sparring! That's the one thing you're not allowed to do, besides eye-gouging and fish-hooking!" Yao spat. He turned and stormed off, his face bright red too. The recruits were starting to snigger. Mulan and Fung both found it funny, but they had to look serious otherwise Shang would freak. Well, freak out more than he already was.

"Take him to the medical tent Fung. Mulan, you're to help me train the recruits," Shang hissed. Chien-Po took Ling from Mulan and Fung's arms and proceeded with Fung to the medical tent. The recruits were still smiling.

"GENTLEMEN!" Shang bellowed, losing his temper again. "I will not have this behaviour in my camp! Now run to the cliff and take your sticks!" The recruits ran off quickly, it was better to obey Shang's orders when he was in a mood, instead of trying to be smart.

Mulan turned to Shang. "You all right?" She asked softly. Shang glared at her.

"What?" He snapped. She raised her eyebrows and the hard look vanished from his face. "I'll be fine. What's wrong with them anyway?"

Mulan shrugged. "I don't know. Fung and I have been trying to get it out of them but they're not saying anything," She suddenly realised what she had said. Shang raised an eyebrow.

"They had a row? I thought they were just sparring really violently,"

"Um...no," She answered feebly. Shang looked at her. "Okay, they did. But they're not saying anything about it,"

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea giving them their ranks," He said, walking in the same direction the recruits had run in earlier.

Mulan stared at his back. "You're kidding right? You can't take away their ranks!" She jogged after him. "Shang?"

"I can," He said stiffly.

"I thought the emperor gave them,"

"Yeah he does, but I recommended them to him. Otherwise, they would still be normal soldiers," He paused and looked at Mulan. "I recommended you to get a rank as well," She grinned.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The emperor thought he might give you a bit of time before giving you anything," Mulan's smile sagged. "Come on, you might get something later," Her smile shot up again.

×××

The recruits weren't brilliant at the stick-and-stone exercise. After Shang's flawless demonstration, the recruits lined up one by one to try.

First up was Huang Wong. Wong was a average sized man, with a beard and a large nose. Mulan couldn't stand him because he was always making fun of her. Shang couldn't stick him either; apparently Yao's two nicknames for Shang, 'Pretty Boy' and 'Lover Boy' had sped around the camp at a surprisingly fast rate and Wong could never resist any moment to tease Shang.

Wong was a very good recruit. He had performed all of the exercises with speed and accuracy and even Shang was surprised at how quickly he had picked everything up. The rest of the recruits threw stones at Wong, who managed to hit all of them, but the bucket fell just as he hit the last few stones.

The rest of the recruits weren't any better. One man, Yu Dian, had the same problems as Mulan had had. The bucket upturned, his vision impaired he managed to hit only one stone. Mulan giggled slightly. Shang glared at her.

After the stick-and-stone exercise, they went back to sparring, but with sticks. Shang had to demonstrate with Mulan. Mulan, like Ling, was slightly quicker than Shang but Shang was much more experienced and knew a lot more sparring techniques. After a few minutes, Mulan was beginning to tire, or so it looked like. Shang could see this and was going slightly easy on her before she gripped the stick with two hands, slammed it into Shang's chin, forcing him back then she took him down with one hit of the stick. He flew onto his back, groaning slightly. The recruits cheered. Mulan couldn't help grinning. She went over to Shang and offered him her hand. Smiling, he took it and pulled himself up.

"Nice move. Never seen that been used before. I thought you were getting tired though," He said. Mulan smiled.

"I wasn't. It just looked like it. Don't underestimate me because of my appearance," She smiled sweetly. Shang shook his head, his own smile growing. He turned back to the recruits.

"I want you to divide into pairs and practise amongst yourselves. Mulan and I will walk around and see how you're doing,"

The recruits quickly paired up and Mulan and Shang walked around. Mulan noticed that most people were too 'shy' about hitting their partners, as they didn't want to injure them. Huang Wong and Yu Dian had paired up together. Wong was taking it very seriously and wasn't giving Dian a chance at all. Poor Dian had a bad time sparring with Wong, he got hit several times, kicked and when Dian tried the 'Mulan Move' when he was lying on his back, Wong hit the stick out of his hands. Mulan, who was there to witness this, smiled to herself.

"Good job Wong. Dian, you might want to push yourself a little harder. Don't be afraid of hitting Wong," He nodded.

"Like he could anyway," Wong hissed. Mulan sniggered, but stopped when Dian frowned at her.

"Sorry," She said then walked off to watch the other recruits, unaware that Shang had been watching her the whole time and was not paying a blind bit of attention to the sparring recruits.

×××

Shang called a meeting with all his Officers, including Mulan, that evening. Inside his tent, he had a map of China, with red and black markers on it _(A/N: Like that one in Mulan with General Li and Shang at the beginning). _

"There aren't that many Huns," Mulan said. There were about five different training camps, shown by a small red marker, then two big red markers, showing armies. The Huns had three black markers.

"These are the places where our scouts have seen the Huns," Shang pointed to the black markers. "They've been stationery for a while now; we're not sure what they're doing,"

"So? How's that bad?" Chien-Po asked.

"Well, it means they're plotting something," Shang lied. Chien-Po raised his eyebrows and Mulan stifled a giggle.

"Who's their leader now?" She asked. Shang frowned.

"We're not sure of his name, but we believe that he is a relative of Shan-Yu, but we are not sure if he's the son, cousin or whatever,"

"You're information is kind of patchy," Yao said. He and Shang had made up sometime during the day, but Mulan, Fung and Chien-Po could only wonder how as they had both seemed pretty pissed at each other.

"I know, but our scout reports aren't very good. All we're certain of is that they're doing nothing," Shang said. Mulan rolled her eyes and Fung smiled at her. Shang noticed this but kept quiet.

"Okay, tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we're going to try that pole exercise. Everyone gets up early," He paused and looked at Mulan. She always overslept. "That includes you, Mulan," Mulan grinned.

"Sure," She got up and walked out the tent.

She looked up at the sky. It was a cloudless night; she could see every single star. Mulan couldn't help admiring it. She had always loved the sky, whether it was the clouds at day or the stars at night, but especially the stars.

She walked past her tent, rubbing her arms to try and warm herself up. Mushu popped out from her collar.

"Where you going?" He asked her.

"Just to the forest. I fancy a walk anyway," She hurried over the bridge and entered the forest. She looked around and couldn't help smiling. The trees hid most of the sky but the darkness still surged through.

After spending a quiet five minutes there, Mushu stuck his head out again.

"Come on, come on! Get back to the tent! The lucky bug's getting tired!" He held up Cri-Kee, who was yawning, his eyes drooping. He looked up when Mulan peered down at him, then shut his eyes again.

Mulan grinned. "Okay, okay," She strolled out the forest before she was hit in the back with an arrow, she tripped, hit the floor and everything went black.

_A/N: I'm sorry if some of this was kinda modern, like the tricks but I really couldn't think of anything. Thanks and please review!!_


	4. Tao

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own any Disney characters...blah blah blah. I own Fung and some others. :D_

**CHAPTER FOUR – Tao**

_A/N: Yay, reviews! HUGE thanks to narfgirl, pepe ok, sumayyah, Angel452 and Dragon Spirit Fighter! You guys are really good reviewers, and I'm really grateful! Just remember to review this one too!! By the way, in case you're not clear, when I refer to the Gang, I mean Chien-Po, Yao, Ling AND Fung. Thanks!!_

_Okay, here you go, Chapter Four!!_

Shang entered the eating tent. It was early in the morning, most of the recruits were either still asleep or in the slow process of getting up. The Gang were sitting at their usual table, with their usual amounts of food in front of them.

Chien-Po had the largest portion of porridge. Yao followed him, Ling came next and then Fung. Fung ate the littlest out of all of them, his food was about a third of Chien-Po's.

Shang went over and sat down at the head of the table.

"Where's Mulan?" He asked.

"I haven't seen her this morning. She's probably still asleep," Chien-Po answered. Shang sighed then got up, picked up a bowl and helped himself from a big vat of porridge that was standing in the serving hatch. Lin Wen, the cook, nodded to Shang through the serving hatch. Shang nodded politely back, his mind still on Mulan. He sat back down, spooned up some porridge then let it drip back into his bowl.

A loud burst of chatter brought Shang back to his senses. The recruits were filing in. Shang scanned the crowd for Mulan, but didn't see her. He frowned.

Ling noticed his frown. "I'll go get Mulan," He offered. He left the tent and went over to Mulan's tent.

It was empty. Ling looked around and noticed that Mulan's bed hadn't been slept in. All her possessions were there, her clothes and personal belongings. Ling left the tent at a run. He burst into the eating tent, the Gang and Shang looking up at him.

"I don't want to worry you, but I think Mulan's been kidnapped," He burst out. Everyone looked up at him. Silence drifted around the tent.

"What?" Fung cried, shocked.

"I said, 'I don't want to worry you but I think Mulan's been kidnapped'," He repeated.

The Gang looked at each other, then they ran out the tent with all the recruits at their heels. Shang sat inside the empty tent, stunned. Even Lin Wen had rushed to Mulan's tent. The word 'kidnapped' kept spinning around Shang's head. He got up and marched outside, where he was greeted with the sight of utter panic, confusion and sadness.

Most of the recruits were running around like headless chickens while the older recruits were talking in low voices, huddling in groups. Yao and Chien-Po were standing outside Mulan's tent, Chien-Po looking grave and Yao was on the verge of tears. Shang passed them and laid a reassuring hand on both of their shoulders. Then he turned and went into Mulan's tent.

Ling was sitting on her bed, close to tears himself. Fung was shifting around stuff, to see if there was any sign of struggle. It was a pointless task because the tent was spotless.

"What have you got?" Shang demanded. Fung glanced up and shook his head.

"Nothing. No signs of a struggle, nothing," Shang nodded. Silence.

"What are we going to do?" Ling asked him.

Shang didn't answer his question. "I just need to think for a bit," Both Fung and Ling nodded. Shang left the tent and wandered aimlessly before entering the forest. He sat down on the grass and sighed.

"_Mulan's been kidnapped. Mulan's been kidnapped. Mulan's been kidnapped. Oh yeah, saying it over and over in your head is going to bring her back! What am I meant to do? I can't go and look for her because I have to train these stupid recruits!" _Shang punched a nearby tree in anger, causing his hand to ache in pain. He ignored it. _"If I stay and train them because of all the Huns, she might die!" _Shang sighed and then became of someone behind him. He turned quickly to see Fung.

"I kind of want to be alone right now Fung," Shang said. Fung ignored it and sat down next to him.

"Shang, we've been friends for since we were little kids. I know what you're thinking, so let's talk," Fung began.

"I don't want to talk," Shang stubbornly answered.

"Yeah, you do. You just don't know what to say," Fung replied. "I know you're worried about Mulan. We all are. Do you have any idea of what's going to happen?" He asked gently.

"I don't know Fung. I honestly don't. If I go after her, I'll be abandoning the recruits who still need a lot of training. The Huns are going to come, Fung, and I think Mulan's kidnapping is a big part in their plan to conquer China. I want to go after her, Fung. I do. But I can't. She might die or be tortured if I don't go and save her. But I can't," Shang broke down and allowed a few tears to drip down his cheeks. Fung didn't say anything, he knew very well that men weren't meant to show weakness, they were required to be tough at all times. But he made this an exception because Shang was really worried about Mulan and Fung had seen him cry before.

"Why don't you go after her?" Fung asked. Shang looked up, red-eyed.

"I can't leave the recruits. If the Huns attack, there's no way we'll beat them. It was because of Mulan that we managed to defeat most of them at the Tung Shao Pass," Shang sighed and turned his head away from Fung. "It would be the second time that I would have to give up my honour for her," Shang continued.

Fung was silent. He knew about the Tung Shao Pass incident. He also knew how it still haunted Shang's mind.

"I'm going to let her go," Shang said, determinedly. Fung's mouth dropped open.

"Are you kidding? This is Mulan we're talking about!" Fung cried.

"I know it's Mulan we're talking about," Shang said, still quiet and subdued. "I can't lose my honour for her again. She might be all right on her own," Shang's voice got quieter with each word.

"I don't believe what you're saying! Are you going to give her up for your stupid honour?! What happens if she gets killed? You'll never be able to live with yourself if it does happen!" Fung yelled. He got up and stormed out of the forest. Shang watched him go, his eyes filling up again.

"I don't want to leave her," He whispered after Fung. "I love her,"

×××

Mulan's eyes flew open. She saw a grey ceiling.

"_Ah, my lovely tent. Oh my god! I'm late! I promised Shang I'd get up early!"_ She lurched forward, only to find herself thrown backwards.

Mulan looked to see what had stopped her getting up. She was being held down onto a bed by a pair of leather straps, two on each arm and leg. Her head was throbbing with pain and exhaustion. She struggled to get her head up. She glanced around.

She was in a tent, a small one. Next to her was a bucket, a stool and a pile of bandages. She couldn't see outside, but she could tell it was morning. She moved slightly to look to her left when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her arm. Twisting around, she saw she had a wound, which had been dressed with a thin bandage. It wasn't a good bandage, blood was still seeping through.

"_Wait...how did I get wounded? Oh, that arrow!"_ Mulan's eyes grew slightly wide. "_Where the hell am I?" _She shifted around to try and look outside but with no success. _"It's probably Huns. Stupid Huns,"_ She sighed and looked back at the ceiling, ignoring the worry and fear that was building in her chest.

"How are you feeling?" A voice came over to Mulan. She sat up suddenly only to be pulled down again. "I wouldn't try to move," the voice said again. A man came into view. He was obviously a Hun, he had the same grey skin, furs draped around his shoulders and a large sword was swinging at his side. His face told a different story though. He had the usual stern mouth, sharp noise and a strong chin but he had coruscating eyes. _(A/N: coruscating means 'sparkling' or 'glittering' for those who don't know)_

"_He can't be all that cruel then,"_ Mulan reasoned. The man smiled. _"Definitely not that cruel,"_

"I'm all right," She answered. He was still a Hun, so she didn't add anything more.

"I'm Tao. I know who you are," Mulan raised her eyebrows.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not really meant to tell you," He said, drawing himself up. Mulan grinned. This man didn't seem like a bad Hun.

"Yeah, all right then," She paused. "Are you a Hun?"

"No, I'm a fluffy pink bunny," He said. Mulan's grin grew wider. "Yeah, I know I'm not a funny guy. I am a Hun though,"

"Great,"

"You're surprisingly upbeat about all this kidnapping malarkey," Tao pulled the stool over and sat down on it. It creaked slightly.

"I guess. But people will come for me soon...hopefully," She said. Tao nodded.

"I'm your guard. So I'll be seeing a lot of you,"

"All right, all right, whoa back. You might be a nice guy, not a funny guy, but you're a Hun. Basically, I hate your guts. So just go away and don't talk to me for a while," Mulan snapped. Tao nodded. He stood up and left the tent.

Mulan heard him go out and felt her heart sink. She was scared. That was the truth. She wanted someone to whisk her up in their arms and run far away where she would be left alone, a place with no war, no Huns and no army. She wanted...Shang.

"_He'll come for me soon. I know he will,"_ With that reassuring thought, Mulan fell asleep.

×××

Mushu woke up by Cri-Kee shaking him. They had both fallen out of Mulan's shirt when she had been hit by the arrow. Mulan had fallen on top of Mushu, knocking him out. Cri-Kee had managed to drag Mushu away as Mulan was taken away by a bunch of Huns. Since then, Cri-Kee had been trying to get Mushu back from unconsciousness.

"Erghh....argh...um..." Mushu mumbled. Suddenly, he sat up. "Where's Mulan? Where's my baby?" He demanded of Cri-Kee.

"She got taken by the Huns. Remember? She got hit by the arrow!" Cri-Kee explained. (_A/N: I know Cri-Kee speaks in chirps, but I'm gonna be a translator and write in English for those who don't understand chirps!)_

"Oh my god! Why didn't you stop them? Why? Why?" Mushu picked Cri-Kee up by the antennae. "Answer me lucky bug!!"

"I couldn't! Who the hell do you think I am? Superbug? I'm a cricket! I'd be trampled on!" Cri-Kee snapped.

"Okay, so what direction did they go in?" Mushu asked, calming down a bit. Cri-Kee pointed to the right.

"Are we going to go after them?" Cri-Kee asked Mushu. Mushu looked towards the right, where Mulan had been taken, then to the left, where Wu Zhong was.

"No. We're going to go get Shang, Fung and that lot. They'll probably give us a hand," Mushu answered.

"You're not meant to reveal yourself to anybody who isn't a Fa," Cri-Kee pointed out. Mushu looked at him.

"Listen here lucky bug. Mulan is my best friend, besides you, and I care a lot about her. I'm not going to sit around and let her die or whatever. I'm going to get people to help me save her. I don't really care if I lose my place as a guardian, I care about Mulan! I'm going to reveal myself so DEAL!!" Mushu snapped. Cri-Kee nodded.

"_Finally! Mushu is thinking about others, besides himself!" _Cri-Kee smiled.

"But if she comes back safe and sound then that's fine too. Mulan's fine and I'm still a guardian! Everyone's a winner!!" Mushu grinned and scampered off.

"_Who am I kidding?"_ Cri-Kee smiled and then hopped after Mushu.

×××

Fung was pacing around the eating tent. The Gang were sitting at their table, quiet and downcast. The recruits were outside, they all understood that the Gang needed a bit of time to grieve.

"Why isn't Shang going to do anything?" Ling asked Fung.

"He said that he'll be losing his honour by leaving the recruits when the Huns are coming and going after her," Fung said flatly. The Gang looked up, open-mouthed.

"What the hell?!" Ling and Yao yelled.

"I'm going to go see him," Ling stormed out the tent, the Gang following.

"Ling! Ling!" Fung called, running after him. "You can't! He'll freak!"

"I don't care! Mulan's my friend!" Ling snapped back.

Ling burst into Shang's tent. Shang was sitting, cross-legged, on the floor, staring into space. He looked up when Ling and the Gang came in.

"Are you crazy?" Ling yelled, not bothering to keep his voice down. "Why aren't you going to go after Mulan? You can't leave her alone! She might die!!"

Shang didn't answer. This made Ling more angry.

"We care for Mulan as well! We don't want anything to happen to her! If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself knowing that we just sat here on our butts, doing nothing! I want to find her!" Ling bellowed. "You obviously don't care for her!"

Instantly, everyone knew he had touched a nerve. Shang's head jerked up and then he stood up.

"What are you talking about? It's _because_ I care for Mulan, that's why I'm not going after her! I have no idea where she's been taken to, I have no idea where to start looking for her! There was no one there when she was taken, so I don't have any help to start to find her!" Shang shouted, twice as loud as Ling. But once Shang was in his stride, it was hard to stop him. "How could you think I don't care for her? She means more to me than anyone I've ever known! Believe me, if anything happens to her, I would NEVER forgive myself. The memory of when I was going to kill her at the Tung Shao Pass hurts more than you would know! I still can't forgive myself for what happened then, though nothing did. Can you even imagine what I'd feel if something did happen to her, now? You don't know how much I really love her!" Shang yelled, before he realised what he had said.

Surprisingly, the Gang didn't say anything. They were all ashamed, ashamed that they had thought Shang didn't care for Mulan and was prepared to let her go to save his honour. Ling flushed bright red. Yao shuffled his feet while Chien-Po and Fung just stood there.

Shang collapsed. His feet gave way and he toppled back on to the bed _(A/N: Strategically placed bed, heh heh). _The Gang ran forward while Shang recovered and sat down properly on the floor. The Gang sat around him. No one said anything.

"Um..." Ling started. "Shang...I'm sorry about the whole yelling thing. I was wrong to think you didn't care about Mulan," Shang nodded.

"That's all right. At least it's all out now," Shang replied. He smiled at Ling.

"Even the love part," Yao added. Shang just nodded.

"Are you going to say it?" Fung prompted him.

"I love Mulan. There, happy now?" Shang managed to smile. Fung grinned back.

"Aaw, we knew you did," Yao thumped Shang on the back.

"What are we going to do now?" Chien-Po asked.

"I don't know. I've failed as a general," Shang said miserably.

"No, of course you haven't! You're a good general, it's just that Mulan is clouding your vision," Chien-Po said.

"Chien-Po, my eyes are fine," Shang said, insulted.

"No, I mean you aren't thinking clearly because you're worried about Mulan," Chien-Po explained.

"Oh right," Shang said. Silence wafted around the tent for a little while longer.

"Are we going to go after her?" Yao asked.

Shang shook his head. "How can I? I have no idea where she was taken. I don't even know what direction she was kidnapped in,"

"Yes, we do," A voice said. They all turned to the tent flap, where Mushu and Cri-Kee stood.

"Snake!!" Ling yelled. He leapt up and ran to Chien-Po and hid behind him. "ARGH!!!"

"Oi, oi buddy!" Mushu snapped. "I'm not a snake! Nor am I lizard!" He glared at Fung, who had opened his mouth and was about to say 'You're a lizard, right?'. "I'm a dragon. A dragon guardian actually,"

"Neat," Yao said.

"I'm Mushu," Mushu introduced himself. He walked into the middle of the circle, in which they were sitting. "This is Cri-Kee, he's my best friend and is the gong ringer of the Fa family,"

"You know Mulan?" Shang instantly said.

"Duh! Dude, I'm her guardian. I was there when she was kidnapped. Well, I was actually knocked out,"

"Knocked out?" Ling said. He had ventured out from behind Chien-Po but was still keeping a safe distance from Mushu.

"Yeah, the full story is that last night Mulan went for a walk in the forest. She spent about five minutes in there, before she started to go back. Then she was hit in the back by an arrow-," Mushu said before Shang interrupted.

"She got hit by an arrow?" Shang yelled.

"Dude, calm down!" Mushu snapped. "Let me finish my story then you can freak out," Shang nodded and blushed. "Then, after she got hit by the arrow, she fell and I happened to be knocked out when she hit the grass. But Cri-Kee managed to get out before we hit the ground and saw that Mulan was dragged to the East of this camp,"

Silence greeted the end of Mushu's story.

"Okay, so we know where she was taken...so now do we go after her?" Yao asked.

"Yes, we can, because we know where she was taken. It was Huns, wasn't it Mushu?" Chien-Po said, turning to Mushu. Mushu nodded.

"You know the Huns, they trample so their tracks are easily visible and they slash the plants and all that," Chien-Po added.

Shang nodded. "What about the recruits? One of us will have to stay behind," He said.

"No way!" The Gang called out.

"Mulan's my friend!" Ling yelled.

"Mine too!" Chien-Po and Yao yelled back.

"I want to help you find her too," Fung said.

"Leave Huang Wong in charge. He knows the exercises and he is the best," Fung said to Shang.

"Not a bad idea," Yao said.

"Hmm," Shang said. "I could...but can I trust him? I don't want him causing trouble in my camp,"

"Shang, do you remember the first person who was causing trouble in your camp? It was Mulan! Look at her now, she became the best recruit in the camp and one of your best friends! Give Wong the responsibility and he'll do it," Chien-Po said. It made perfect sense.

"All right," Shang agreed. "I'll give Wong the job," He paused.

"He needs a rank, right?" Fung said, reading Shang's mind.

"I can't leave the camp to anybody. The person needs a rank," Shang sighed.

"Well, give it to him!" Ling said, impatient as always.

"I can't! Only the emperor can give them," Shang explained. Ling swore.

"Can't you just leave the camp to him? Come on people! Mulan's life is at stake here!" Mushu snapped.

Shang shook his head. "I can't. It's a death penalty should you leave your camp without proper supervision of the recruits,"

"Dude, you said a bunch of stuff I didn't get. What?" Mushu said. Shang sighed again.

"I'll be killed if I leave the recruits,"

"See? That's much more easier to understand," Mushu grinned.

×××

"Lunch," Tao said, coming in. Mulan, still tied to the bed, looked up. Relieved to see it was just Tao, she grinned.

"Sure. What you got?"

"Actually, not much. I'm not meant to give you food. So I sneaked it from my plate," He held out two egg rolls. "Not alot, I'm sorry,"

Mulan grinned. "It doesn't matter, I haven't eaten since last night's dinner," Tao broke the egg rolls into quarters and dropped a piece into her mouth because her arms were still tied down.

"What's the point of these stupid ties?" She asked Tao as he sat down on the stool.

"To stop you escaping," He dropped another piece into Mulan's open mouth.

"You're joking right? How could I escape with all the Huns around here?" Mulan remarked, chewing her egg roll. Tao shrugged.

"When you're done I have to escort you to the leader," Tao said. Mulan nodded, her fear mounting higher and higher until she could taste the bitter flavour in her mouth.

Mulan finished her egg rolls quickly. Tao reached over and undid her straps. He took her by the arm and marched her to the entrance of the tent, then he stopped.

"What?" Mulan said, turning to him.

"You better try to struggle. Or look upset. Remember you've been kidnapped,"

"Right," Mulan said. She hung her head, looking downcast.

"Much better," Tao commented from above. He opened the tent and frog-marched her out. She glanced up and took in a breath.

The Hun camp was situated on a high cliff, overlooking a valley. It was easily the most beautiful place Mulan had ever seen. Flowers grew around the trees and grass was springy under her feet.

"_Why did the Huns stop here? It's hardly a very Hun-y place,"_ Mulan thought to herself. Tao dragged her past a lot of Huns who wolf-whistled at her. She glared at them.

"In here," Tao whispered. Mulan tore her eyes away from the beautiful valley to look at a large grey tent. Tao pushed her inside.

The tent was twice the size of Mulan's. A bed was on the right side, a table, with maps and papers strewn across it, was on the left. Swords and other assorted weapons were scattered all over the tent. Mulan's gaze was instantly drawn to the Hun sitting at the table. He got up when Tao and Mulan entered.

"Leave Tao," The Hun rasped. Tao left. Mulan stood there, looking directly ahead. The Hun got up and started circling her, like Shan-Yu had to the Emperor.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He asked her.

"You're going to tell me, aren't you?" Mulan answered. The Hun began to laugh, a deep hollow sound.

"You're right. My name is Lao Ren. I am not related to Shan-Yu, but I was his inferior when he was alive," He hissed. "I plan to get my revenge on you and your precious emperor. Your armies are outnumbered. You don't stand a chance," He paused to see Mulan's reaction. He was quite surprised to see she had a blank face. "I'm still stuck with what to do with you. I could either use you as a hostage or bait...both seems interesting. Maybe I'll use both,"

"How are we outnumbered? You only have fifty or so men here," Mulan asked, politely.

"My dear, I have three armies hidden in places around China. Each army consists of more than a thousand men,"

"Really?" Mulan's eyebrows shot up. Lao Ren wavered.

"Maybe not a thousand. But at least five hundred in each army. I plan to take over China, forcing your emperor off his throne. I shall have every person in China bowing to me," Lao Ren spat at Mulan. She didn't say anything.

"Tao!" He called. Tao entered, relieved that Mulan had not been hurt. "Take her back to her tent," Tao nodded. He grabbed Mulan's arm aggressively and forced her out the tent.

×××

"This is getting ridiculous!" Yao said. "I can't believe we have to go to the Imperial City to get a rank for Wong, and then go find Mulan. It's starting to sound like a joke!"

Wong couldn't be left in charge without a rank, so they were going to ride to the Imperial City to get Wong's rank, and then go look for Mulan. The Gang found this ludicrous. Fung and Shang knew it was necessary otherwise they could both be for it.

Wong was ecstatic that he was getting a rank, even if it was only because the Gang and Shang wanted to go rescue Mulan.

"We don't have any choice," Shang said. They were in the paddock, saddling up their horses.

"I know. It seems so stupid though. We were all really scared for Mulan and now we're making a two day trip to the Imperial City to get a silly rank for stupid Wong and then we have to ride back to find our way from here," Ling said scornfully. Shang turned away from them.

He wanted them to know that no one was regretting the delay of the rescue more than him. He was so worried about Mulan and he found it infuriating that it could be held up by four days. He wondered if Mulan could hold that long.

"Okay everyone. The earlier we start, the quicker we can leave," Fung said, on top of his horse. Shang got on to his horse too and so did Wong, Yao and Ling. Chien-Po was staying behind to look after the recruits.

"Bye Chien-Po!" Yao and Ling called. Chien-Po waved. He watched them trot over the bridge and then disappear over the horizon.

×××

"Okay, how long till we get there?" Yao asked Shang. They had stopped for a break as they had been riding for five hours non-stop. Ling was complaining that his thighs were hurting something chronic, so they stopped.

"A day,"

"A day? What?" Yao said, mad.

"Unless we ride through the night," Fung said, while petting his horse. "Then we'll get there in about twelve or so hours, instead of like twenty-four,"

This was complicated math for simple people like Yao and Ling, so they took his word for it.

"Okay. If everybody's ready, we'll ride through the night and shan't stop till we reach the Imperial City," Shang declared.

"Sure," Yao nodded. Ling nodded too.

"That's fine," Fung said, getting back on his horse.

The four riders rode off, Mushu and Cri-Kee sitting on the back of Shang's horse.

×××

"How you doing?" Tao said, peering inside. Mulan looked up.

"Awful. I'm getting cramp in my leg," Mulan complained. Tao sniggered.

"You have been tied up for like a day. I'm surprised you didn't get it earlier," Tao said. Mulan grinned.

"Yeah, I got it a few hours ago but I thought it would go. But it didn't," She waggled her foot helplessly.

"Aaaw cheer up," Tao said, sitting down on the stool.

In the few hours that they had known each other, Mulan and Tao had become fairly close. She told Tao all about her first time in Wu Zhong, her friends, her family and her feelings. Tao talked to her too, but not about his family. Tao could really sing as well. Mulan had taught him a few songs that Fa Li had taught her and Tao taught her the few songs that he knew.

Mulan didn't really know her feelings for him. She was still aware that she felt strong affection for Shang, but because he wasn't there and Tao was, she began to feel close to him, in a different way that she felt close to Fung, Ling, Yao and Chien-Po.

Tao was stuck too. He didn't know whether he was in love with Mulan or just because she was a woman and he had not had any woman companionship since...well, he couldn't remember any. He liked Mulan immensely, he found her funny, bubbly, out-going and fairly pretty as well.

When Tao left, Mulan looked back up at the ceiling and thought about Shang.

"_Why hasn't he come to find me? Does he really not care? Even if he doesn't, what about Fung, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po? Why can't they come and find me?"_ Mulan thought miserably. She had spent the first two or three hours waiting for them, but when she didn't hear horses, slashings of swords or calls of her name, she gave up and found herself not caring whether they came for her or not.

Then, the tent flap opened. Lao Ren came in and smiled.

"Look at you, all tied up like a helpless animal," He came over and stared down at her. "We're moving out now sweetie. You will be riding with Tao,"

"Where are we going?"

"To our future home,"

"What?"

"It's called a treaty sweetheart. Once I've used you as bait, I'll declare our marriage and with the two greatest warriors at the throne, no one will dare attack China again,"

"What?!" Mulan cried.

Lao Ren glared at her. He walked out of her view and she heard him say "Get her ready," to Tao before leaving the tent. Tao walked over to her view.

"You're going to marry him?" Tao sniggered. Mulan would have slapped him if she had her hands free.

"Okay, okay, you can laugh now, but when I employ you as my servant, you won't be so cocky then," Mulan grinned. Tao grinned back and started to undo her bonds. Mulan swung herself of the bed and stretched. She stood up and almost fell. Tao caught her.

"Cramp?" He asked her.

Mulan nodded. "Just a bit," Tao gripped her arm and forced out the door, just for appearance sakes. He actually was holding her quite loosely and it didn't hurt at all.

Tao's horse was called Feng, meaning Wind. She was a brown mountain pony, but had evil eyes. Tao pushed Mulan up, then got up himself. She wound her arms around his waist to make sure she didn't fall off. Tao didn't know what to think of this.

"Just to make sure I don't fall off. Remember I'm to be married when I get to the palace," She said from behind him. Tao smiled to himself.

Then the whole pack of fifty Huns began to move out. Lao Ren was at the front, Tao next to him as Lao Ren wanted to keep an eye on Mulan, and Lao Ren's 'commander' _(A/N: The Huns don't have ranks) _, Kai Bo, was on Lao Ren's other side.

"Ready?" Tao whispered. Mulan nodded, fear rising in her chest.

"Ready,"


	5. Truth

**Disclaimer:** _Mulan and everybody are Disney's people. I only own Fung, Tao, Lao Ren, Kai Bo and some other people. Thanks!_

**CHAPTER FIVE – Truth**

_A/N: Quite a few reviews for Chapter Four, which made me happy because I wrote Chapter Four in one day, because I had nothing else to do. Thank you to choc-cookie, Lynn12, Lobs-StAcEy-Ters, JoEbLoG and radio.rosie who wrote their reviews before I started Chapter Five. Special BIG BIG thanks to my very loyal reviewers: Dragon Spirit Fighter, pepe ok and Angel452. You guys are the best!!! _

_I might make Mulan fall in love with Tao...or I might not. You'll just have to wait and see! ; )_

"How long till we get there Shang?" A sleepy Mushu asked Shang. Shang was wide-awake because of his anxiety for Mulan and exasperation of the trip to the Imperial City.

"About two hours," Shang replied, agitated. Mushu nodded and looked around at everybody. Cri-Kee was asleep, Shang was fully awake, Fung was mostly awake, Yao's eyes were drooping and Ling was practically asleep, waking up just in time to avoid the cliff or the lake he would have gone into or over.

"Thank God. Your horse isn't too comfy you know, dude," Mushu yawned.

"Mushu, if you don't have anything useful to say, don't say it then!" Shang snapped, losing his temper. Mushu scowled at his back.

"Prat. God knows what Mulan sees in him," Mushu muttered under his breath. Shang, however, caught every word and grinned widely.

"_Mulan sees something in me? Wow...that feels good...heh heh heh. Mulan feels stuff for me! Yahoo!"_ Shang smiled. _"Or is that just Mushu? Screw it, I'll find out whether she does when I next see her,"_ With that happy thought Shang squeezed his legs to get the horse to move faster.

×××

The Huns were roughly two hours away from the Imperial City, like Shang and his riders. Their mountain ponies were just as fast as the Imperial stallions but were better at plunging through undergrowth, while the stallions would stop and fuss. The mountain ponies were used to being treated this way, they had been beaten and had been forced to bear a rider as soon as they could canter properly.

Mulan's head lolled from side to side. She had fallen asleep against Tao's back, making Tao feel reassured but very uncomfortable at the same time. He hadn't the heart to shake her and wake her up, so he let her sleep.

The journey continued like this until Mulan woke up.

"Tao?" She whispered.

"You're up!" Tao greeted her. Mulan yawned and sat up. Tao felt the warm weight of her head leave his back and couldn't help feeling a bit sad about that.

"Yeah...where are we?"

"An hour or so till we reach the Imperial City. God knows what's going to happen when we're going to get there,"

"You're a Hun, you ought to know," Mulan remarked.

"Not really. I'm just your guard, Lao Ren doesn't tell me anything," Tao said. "Are you all right? Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, I need to pee," Mulan said. Tao began to laugh.

"Well, please hold it in," He sniggered. Mulan elbowed him in the back. "Sorry,"

"What time is it?" Mulan asked him.

"No idea. It's probably six in the morning. Or seven," Tao shifted slightly on his saddle. "My butt hurts," He complained.

"Charming..."Mulan muttered.

"I'm really thirsty. I could use some water," He went on.

"Will you shut up about water? I'm bursting here!" Mulan snapped. Tao burst out laughing. Lao Ren and Kai Bo were ahead of them so they couldn't hear Tao. "It's not funny," Mulan continued.

"I know, I know," Tao answered, smiling to himself. The journey had been incredibly dull while Mulan was asleep and now she was awake, the whole thing seemed so much brighter, despite the fact she had only been awake for a few minutes.

×××

"Check it out guys!" Fung called. The Gang and Shang had stopped for a brief minute because Ling was complaining again. Both Wong and Yao needed to relieve themselves and Shang admitted that his legs were hurting too.

"What?" Yao yelled back from behind the bushes.

"It's the Imperial City!" Fung shouted. Fung had ridden forward and came to a gap in the forest that they had been riding in. The parting in the trees showed a noughts-and-crosses board of small, square, red houses. In the center, stood the Emperor's palace. It was shining brightly in the morning light.

"Big deal..." Wong said. He came out from behind the bushes and washed his hands in a nearby brook. "About half an hour till we get there?" He asked, to no one in particular.

"Yup," answered Fung, coming back from the clearing with his horse.

"Thank god," Wong replied. He lay down on the grass and shut his eyes. Shang looked over.

"Guys! Guys! Get up! We have to hurry! Come on, it's only about half an hour till we get there!" Shang cried. He went over and hauled Wong up.

"Get off," Wong said, pulling himself out of Shang's grip.

"Gentlemen, you won't refuse a direct order from your General!" Shang thundered. "Get back on your horses and we're going to hurry to the City, get Wong's rank and then go find Mulan! Does nobody care about this whole thing apart from me?" Shang said cunningly, knowing that everyone would yell at this outburst.

"What?!" Ling yelled. "What the hell are you on about?" He strode over to his horse. "Everyone, get your butts moving!" Ling vaulted on to his horse and looked down. "Come on!"

Yao scrambled onto his horse, Wong leapt onto his stallion and Fung clambered smoothly onto his steed.

As the group drew nearer and nearer the Imperial City, every single one of them was beginning to feel slightly excited. The thick wall that surrounded the Palace had stall upon stall leaning against it. The midday market that attracted thousands of people every day was in full swing. You could buy anything from buttons to beans at the market and it was rumoured to be a great place to meet members of the opposite sex. The air stank of fish and sweet-smelling perfume; arguments between vendors and customers stung their ears; courting couples were on every corner; children ran barefoot in and out the stalls and litter and broken goods were scattered on the ground.

"What is the deal with this place?" Yao asked him. Ling grinned.

"Stuff the place, look at all the women!" Ling said, excitedly. Wong and Fung started to laugh.

"You guys have one track minds," Fung commented.

"Yeah, but seriously, look at that girl!" Yao said, pointing to a thin, slender girl who was standing behind a stall. An old man was talking to her, probably her father.

"Dude, you're betrothed," Mushu said.

"Damn," Yao muttered.

Shang shook his head. Fung noticed this and rode up next to him.

"What?" He asked.

"Do they always think about women? Can't they think of anything else?" Shang snapped.

"Shang, you think of Mulan all the time. She's a woman," Fung pointed out. Shang blushed and shrugged.

"So? She's different,"

"And? She's still a woman," Fung went on. Shang sighed again.

"It's different, Fung. I don't know why, but thinking about her isn't the same as thinking about other women. Normal women make me feel kind of sick but Mulan makes me feel...nervous and really excited at the same time," Shang said. Fung nodded.

"We better hurry through this market; otherwise we're never going to get to the Palace," Wong said, trotting up to them. Shang agreed. He pushed his heels into his horse and the Gang tried to push their way through the market. This proved to be no easy task. Finally, Ling lost it.

"OI!" Ling bellowed. Everyone looked up at him. "We are part of the Imperial Army! We're General Li, Commander Loon, Captain Yao and Ling and Captain-To-Be Wong!" Ling paused to take a breath. Everyone was still staring at him. "So basically, what I'm trying to say is: MOVE YOUR BUTTS OUT MY GODDAMN WAY!!"

The whole market was silent before they parted like the waves, leaving a clear space down the centre. Shang, not wasting any time, galloped straight down the middle of them, the rest of the Gang and Wong close behind them.

After leaving the market, Ling and Yao burst into laughter. Between the market was the 'Palace Plaza' _(A/N: Where the people were standing when the Mulan saves the Emperor_) was a long street. The last time Shang had ridden up this street was when he had returned from the Tung Shao Pass, mourning for his father and Mulan, who he thought was still in the mountains. He could still hear her horse's hooves trotting up to him, her beautiful voice talking to him, pleading for him to listen. Her beauty was so obvious now that he thought about it; he couldn't help but wonder how he didn't notice it before. Shang's heart began to ache; he was missing Mulan so badly.

"Dude! What's up with you?" Mushu asked, clambering onto the horse's head.

"Mulan," Shang answered quietly. The single word seemed to do the trick; Mushu instantly realized what he was thinking.

"Cheer up Shang. Mulan's strong, she'll be all right," Mushu consoled him.

"I know. I'm so worried about her. I keep seeing all these images of her being tortured and of her crying. It really makes me feel sick and I just want to pick her up and hold her. Then when I realize I can't, I drive myself crazy just thinking about it and how I can't!" Shang said, getting frustrated at the end.

Mushu just nodded, the words _'"Mushu, if you don't have anything useful to say, don't say it then!"' _springing to mind.

They continued down the street in total silence. Fung and Mushu knew what Shang was thinking so they kept quiet because they knew Shang could easily lose his temper. Ling, Yao and Wong were thinking about the women back in the market.

When they finally reached the Plaza Gates, two guards stepped forward.

"State your name and business," One guard said.

"I am General Li. I have to speak to the Emperor, at once, it's urgent!" Shang snapped.

"Who is the rest of your party?" The same guard answered.

"This is Commander Loon, Captain Yao, Ling and Captain-To-Be Wong," Shang snapped again, even more irritable. The guards nodded to each other and pushed the gates open. After bowing the Gang in, they returned to their places on either side of the gate.

The Plaza looked even bigger than it had been when Shang had last been there, it was now empty and bare. The Palace stood in front of them, it's dominating figure towering over them.

Shang rode his horse up to the steps and dismounted. The Emperor, who had somehow been informed of Shang's arrival, came down the steps, calmly and composed. The rest of the Gang dismounted and followed Shang up the steps. They were all rather surprised that the Emperor had left his Palace to come and meet them, they had thought they'd have to go in the actual place itself.

They all dropped to their knees in front of him.

"Please, there is no need for formalities when you're among friends," The Emperor smiled at them as they rose up. "What is it that you require?"

Shang was about to say something about Wong's rank and Mulan's kidnap when a flaming arrow shot through the air, piercing the air in front of Shang's face. Whipping around, a hailstorm of flaming arrows came flying through the air from balconies and from across the Plaza Wall.

Shang threw himself down onto the ground, as the rest of the Gang pushed each other down. A howl from Wong said that he had been hit and another wail from Yao showed that he had been hit too.

A million thoughts flew through Shang's mind as fast as the arrows. _"Huns! Goddamn Huns! Only the Huns use flaming arrows. Shame we don't, they're a bloody good invention. Wait, focus Shang! What are they doing here? Is Mulan with them? Mulan! Oh my god, is she all right?"_

Suddenly, the sound of splintering wood filled the air. Looking up, the Gang and Shang saw the Plaza Gate shudder under the weight of people ramming themselves against it. One final push and the Gate broke; wood flying and wave upon wave of black sea came pouring through the ruined Gate.

Shang got up, dodging arrows, and hurriedly pushed the Emperor back up the steps.

"Give me a hand for God's sake!" Shang yelled. He ducked as more arrows flew his way. Fung scrambled up and helped Shang shove the Emperor up the steps before an arrow shot through the Emperor's hat, a dark green ribbon tied to it. Shang snatched the Emperor's hat from his head.

"Excuse me!" The Emperor began to protest as an arrow hit his robe, setting him on fire. "Goddamnit!" He swore. Fung pushed the Emperor to the ground and then sent him rolling down the steps, putting out the fire.

"What the hell was that?" Ling bellowed up to Fung.

"To put out fire! You have to Stop, Drop and Roll!" He yelled.

"Fung, you pushed the Emperor down the friggin' stairs!" Ling yelled back. "He'll kill you if these arrows don't!"

"No time!" Yao said, pulling the wounded Wong up the stairs. Ducking a few more arrows, they approached Shang, who was still holding the Emperor's hat.

"What is it?" He yelled.

"It's Mulan's ribbon," Shang whispered.

"Dude! Speak up!" Mushu yelled, from his resting place on Yao's shoulder. "What?"

"It's Mulan's hair ribbon!" Shang bellowed, shoving the hat into Yao's hands. Yao took the hat, releasing his grip on Wong, so he fell to the floor.

Suddenly, the arrows stopped firing. Shang looked around. Ling and the Emperor were on the second landing of steps and Fung, Wong, Yao and himself were on the third. The black sea was standing at the foot of the steps, filling up a third of the Plaza. Archers were on top of the Plaza Walls and, when Shang looked up; many more archers were on the roof of the Palace and on balconies.

A large black horse, followed by six more, came up the first set of stairs. Shang and Yao ran down the steps, leaving Fung to carry Wong down.

When they arrived at the first landing, the Emperor was standing in front of Ling, facing the rider who was approaching the landing. Yao leaned forward and gave the Emperor his hat, without the arrow in it. The Emperor took it, smiled and motioned for them to stay behind him. Beyond the ruined gate, Shang could see the frightened villagers watching, being guarded by black warriors and behind him, he could see the Palace guards standing at the open door of the Palace, being held by more black warriors.

The first horse came up. A large man with terrifying black and grey eyes with a savage smile got off, a sword swinging at his side. Then the rest of the horses came up, four of them holding a lone rider, the last holding two. The last horse stayed hidden behind the rest of them.

"Hold them," The large man said, gesturing to the Gang and Shang. The four riders got off and gripped the Gang with an iron strong grip. Both Shang and Fung weren't hurt by this, but Ling and Yao were visibly in pain. Wong lay on the ground next to them, wounded and not stirring. They obviously thought he wasn't much of a threat.

"My name is Lao Ren," He said.

"Old man?" Fung said, starting to snigger. Shang glared at him, but Yao and Ling started to smile too, despite the circumstances. Lao Ren ignored them.

"I trust you know who I am," He continued. The urge to walk around the Emperor was killing Lao Ren, but he knew if he did that then he'd look stupid. _"Shan-Yu was kind of stupid," _He thought to himself._ "Wait, concentrate. Concentrate on the Emperor. Man, he's ugly. Heh heh heh,"_

"I do," The Emperor said. He watched Lao Ren out of wary eyes.

"I don't know how Shan-Yu managed to be defeated by you. You're armies are pitiful, your defences are crumbling and-," Lao Ren paused and cocked his head forward. One of the people on the two-rider horse pushed the other off. The person walked forward slowly. "And I have China's greatest warrior at my feet," Lao Ren pulled the person forward to reveal Mulan. Her face was pale and her arms were tied together.

"Mulan!" Shang cried, starting forward to be pulled back by his guard. The guard drew a sword to Shang's throat.

"Don't move," He hissed. Mulan looked at Shang worriedly. Shang quickly scanned her up and down. She didn't seem to be in any pain or have any marks on her. She looked...fine.

"_What the hell? She's fine? They didn't hurt her...at all? Yeah, I'm grateful they didn't hurt her, but...what the hell?! Why doesn't she look at me?"_ Shang thought anxiously.

"I kidnapped Mulan about two days ago. She didn't put up any struggle while she was at the camp, I suppose she was waiting for her rescuers," Lao Ren turned to Shang and motioned for the guard to take the sword away from Shang's throat. "Tell me, General, where were you?" He said, mockingly. Shang noted the sarcasm when he said 'General'.

"We had problems," He said lamely. Mulan's eyebrows rose and so did the Emperor's. Even Lao Ren looked surprised.

"Why are you here?" The Emperor asked Lao Ren.

"It's called revenge, my dear Emperor,"

"Why should you want revenge on me?" The Emperor asked, very polite. Fung rolled his eyes.

"I don't," Lao Ren. "But I think he would,"

"Who?"

Tao stepped out from behind his horse. He walked in front of Lao Ren, ignoring Mulan. "I do," He said, staring at the Emperor. The Emperor caught his breath.

"Tao?" He whispered. Tears were glistening in the old man's eyes. Shang was amazed to see them. _"Why the hell would the Emperor cry over some Hun? Dear God!"_ He thought.

"Father," Tao bowed to the Emperor. Mulan froze.

"Father?!" She burst out. Tao turned to her and then smiled.

"I'm sorry Mulan," Tao left the Emperor and stood in front of her.

"For what?" She sounded sad and angry at the same time.

"For not telling you. To be honest, I didn't want to tell myself. I knew I'd have to meet my father in the end. I didn't want you to find out this way," Tao smiled sadly at her.

"Did you want me to find out at all?" She asked him. Tao shook his head. "Are you the leader then?"

"Yes,"

"Some guard," She muttered. Tao smiled.

"In many ways Mulan, you helped me find myself again. You told me everything about yourself and it awakened the sense of family that had long since left me,"

Mulan hung her head. Tao lifted her chin with his fingers. Shang had to restrain himself from rushing forward and beating the crap out of Tao. The number of times Shang had wanted to lift Mulan's face with his fingers when she looked sad was un-countable. Now, here was a Hun, doing the exact same thing! Shang fumed silently.

"Why do you look upset?" He asked her gently. She pulled out of his grip, leaving him looking wounded.

"Is everything you told me a lie?"

"Most of it," Tao shrugged. He turned away from Mulan; she was glaring daggers at him.

"I'm not very comfortable talking here. Go inside," Tao drew his sword and pointed it to the Emperor. "After you...Father,"

_A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very well written, I really wanted to get it up and out the way. Please don't get mad if this chapter wasn't good, I really tried to make it better, but I didn't do very well. Thank you!!_


	6. Stories

**Disclaimer:** _As usual...I don't own anything except my own characters. Thanks!!_

**CHAPTER SIX – Stories**

_A/N: Yay, reviews! Thank so much to everyone who reviewed. Thank you to choc-cookie, Heather, Lobs-StAcEy-Ters and serilia for their reviews! Special BIG BIG BIG thank you to my very loyal reviewers: Mii-chan1, pepe ok, narfgirl and Dragon Spirit Fighter. _

_I'm **really** sorry for taking forever to update. I was really stuck and then I wasn't in the writing mood for most of the time, and when I was, I wrote another story... _:D

_By the way, I've planned most of the story out, but I'm stuck on one thing: Should I have a big bunch of marriages in the end? I've planned about two 'couples' to get together, but I don't know if I should marry them in the end, or in a possible sequel. Please leave a review and just tell me what you think! Thanks!! _

"I expect you're all wondering who I am," Tao started.

They were in the Emperor's throne room _(A/N: The room where General Li – Shang's dad – tells the Emperor of the Hun invasion)_. Tao was lounging on the Emperor's throne, his back leaning against one arm-rest, his legs slung over the other. Lao Ren and Kai Bo were also lounging in two chairs that they had pulled over next to Tao. The Emperor, the Gang, Shang and Mulan were standing in front of them, each of them wearing a different expression. The Gang and Shang looked majorly pissed off. The Emperor looked sad while Mulan had a look of anger, sadness and confusion on her face. They were all being held by Hun guards. Wong lay, forgotten, outside on the Palace steps.

"No shit," Fung muttered, loud enough for the rest of the Gang to hear. Yao sniggered. The guard tightened his grip on Yao's arm. Yao clenched his teeth in pain.

"My name is Tao. True, I am the Emperor's son, but I am not proud of it," Tao paused and looked around the room. "I was kidnapped from this very Palace when I was five years old by Shan-Yu. He became a father to me, when my own did not come for me,"

"My son, why are you doing this to yourself?" The Emperor pleaded. Tao stood up, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Your son died the day you refused to pay my ransom!" Tao cried. "You always told me that you would do anything for me, but when the time came, you never did!"

"Your ransom would have me give away my throne for you. I could not do that. I had no choice but to let you go," The Emperor said.

Tao ignored him. "Shan-Yu brought me up in the ways of a Hun. I was able to ride a horse a week after my kidnapping. Sword-fighting and archery routines were drilled into my head, over and over again. There were no other children in the camp. I used to sit up at night and wait for my father. I had to cry myself to sleep many a night. Then, after a week, I realised my father was not going to come for me. I chose to leave the Empire behind me, I was a Hun and I had to go by what Shan-Yu told me. He did not accept me into the Hun Clan because I was far too young _(A/N: That's the right word, yeah?) _but then, when I had killed my first victim at the age of six, he took me in and became a father to me. He was not kind, but he kept me alive. I might have gone hungry for months, but at least I was alive," Tao stopped. He walked slowly over to Mulan and looked at her. She looked sad, pitiful and sorry.

"That's how you reminded me. You used to wait for people to rescue you, didn't you? When we were in the Hun camp, I watched you and I could see the suffering you were going through. I couldn't help you, even the first night when you cried yourself to sleep. You couldn't wipe your tears away because of your bonds. I could see the dried tears on your cheeks," Tao said, almost sadly. He turned to Shang. "Where were you? Come on, General, tell us your story," Tao sauntered back to the throne and threw himself on it.

Shang paused and met Mulan's eyes. Her face was blank and expressionless.

"We first learnt of Mulan's capture the morning after. We were going to go after you but then...," Shang's voice trailed off, not wanting Mulan to know the reason of the delay. _"She's going to think I'm the biggest jerk in China, worried about my honour instead of her,"_ Shang thought miserably to himself.

"I can see the General is not comfortable with talking about this particular subject," Tao commented menacingly. "Guards! Lock them in the dungeon. Leave my father here,"

The guards shoved Mulan out the door first. Fung and the Gang followed, Shang bringing up the rear. He watched Mulan from the front and could actually feel his heart sinking. While he had been saying his explanation of their pathetic rescue, he could see Mulan out of the corner of his eye. She looked upset and, not surprisingly, annoyed. _"I can hardly blame her. Yao was right, the whole rescue thing seemed like a joke! Why the hell didn't I leave someone at the camp?! I'm a friggin' General! I could have just ordered someone to stay there!"_ Shang angrily thought to himself.

×××

The dungeon was a black darkness. Around 20 cells were in there, five on each wall. The floor was slippery and there wasn't a single window. As Mulan was shoved past a cell, she could see a skeleton of a man lying at the back of the cell. She shuddered in disgust. _(A/N: I kind of based that on a scene from 'Snow White', so please no one sue me)._

Mulan was in the cell nearest the door, on the left hand side of the room. Shang was opposite her, Fung was next to him, Yao was next to Mulan and Ling was next to Yao. After locking them in their cells, the guards strode out the door, slamming it behind them.

Shang turned to Mulan as soon as they had gone. "Mulan, are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

Mulan shook her head. "No,"

Yao raised his eyebrows at her answer. "What happened?"

"Yeah, how do you know that Tao guy?" Fung asked, sitting in front of his cell door. Mulan sank down to her knees, her head lolling against the steel bars.

"He was my guard when I was at the camp," She said. Fung wanted to ask more, but he could see from her short responses that she was not in the mood for talking.

"But are you all right?" Shang persisted. Mulan nodded.

"I'm fine," She said, her voice monotonous.

"Mulan..." Fung started gently. She looked up at him, avoiding Shang's eyes.

"_Why isn't she looking at me? Is it because of the screwed up rescue? Does she think I don't care for her because I didn't come and help her? You're a jerk Shang. Why the hell didn't you just leave someone behind?! Argh!!"_ Shang grimaced.

"-talk about it," Fung finished. Shang, wrapped up in his own thoughts, hadn't heard a word what Fung had said. He assumed it was something to do with the Hun camp.

"I don't want to talk about it," Her reply came. Her head was still hanging, her long ebony hair hiding her face and her expression. She looked so miserable.

"Okay," Fung replied. Mulan got up and walked to the back of her cell, everyone watching her. She dropped to her knees and hid her face in her knees. She began to sob quietly, but not quietly enough. Everybody could hear her.

Shang wanted to break down his cell door and go and comfort her. She looked so weak and helpless. He had no idea why she was this upset, but he had to give her a bit of leeway, she had just been captured by Huns after all.

Within five minutes, the sobbing had ceased and Shang could only assume she had fallen asleep. Yao and Ling were spread out on the floor of their cells, fast asleep. Ling was lying on the side furthest away from the neighbouring cell. Poor Ling had had the unfortunate situation of being in the cell directly next to the skeleton. Fung was awake, leaning against the bars that separated himself and Shang. Shang was awake also, out of worry for Mulan and the Emperor.

"Shang?" Fung whispered.

"Yeah?"

Fung sat up properly and turned to face his childhood friend. Shang looked depressed. His dark eyes were drooping and his shoulders sagged.

"You look terrible,"

"Cheers," Shang snapped back. He was not in a good mood.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Fung suggested.

"I can't. I feel guilty," Shang said back.

"Why?" He asked gently. Shang shook his head.

"For not helping her. That rescue turned out to be a disaster. Now, I feel like she's blaming me all for it. That's why she was not looking at me, I think," Shang said, trying to explain what was going through his head.

"Shang, don't blame yourself for what happened. You can't help the Law,"

"I know, but surely I could have just ordered someone to stay behind? I'm the General! My first big-ish mission has already gone pear-shaped," Shang could feel his own tears coming on. He sniffed and opened his eyes wide to stop them from falling.

"I guess," Fung's lame reply was. Then, they heard stirring from the other side of the room. Mulan's face emerged from her knees, her eyes red.

"Mulan?" Shang asked.

"What happened?" She asked. They both instantly what she was talking about.

"Mulan, we had problems," Shang started before Mulan cut him off.

"I don't want excuses. Just tell me what happened," Her voice was stern, but kept breaking. Shang could hear her trying to hold her tears back.

As briefly as he could, Shang, with some help from Fung, explained to her about the rescue. It sounded even worse when he told her. _"How the hell is she ever going to forgive me now?"_ Shang thought desperately.

In spite of everything Shang had just said, Mulan started to laugh. Amazed, Fung and Shang gaped at her while she sat at the back of her cell, chuckling to herself.

"It's not so much funny," She said. Her voice sounded much lighter, and more like her usual happy self. "It's just how you tried to help me but then you kept going wrong,"

Shang was confused by this. Then the dreaded question came.

"Why didn't you just leave someone at the camp?"

"Um...er....um...we...er...." The words caught in Shang's throat, which was rapidly growing dry. He could feel his face flushing but no one could see this because it was almost pitch black in the dungeon. "I didn't think of it," He finished. Fung's eyebrows disappeared into his hair and Mulan wasn't impressed.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think. I was worried about you," He said, crawling forward to his cell door. Mulan watched him out of wary eyes. "I wasn't thinking straight. Please don't be angry with me," His eyes grew round and pleading. Both Mulan and Fung had to fight down laughs.

"I'm not," She smiled. Shang's drooping smile was replaced by a scary grin that stretched from ear to ear. "Whoa..."

"What?"

"Your smile. It was creepy,"

"I have a creepy smile?" Shang snapped, offended. Mulan started to laugh. Fung, who didn't actually find it that funny, sat with a perplexed look on his face.

"We're okay though?" Shang asked hesitantly.

"Sure,"

×××

The throne room was empty apart from Tao and the Emperor, as Tao had requested an audience with his father alone. He knew the Emperor wouldn't hurt him as he was his son and he was getting old.

"What is your story Father? What happened to you after I had been kidnapped?" Tao said, still sprawled all over the throne. The Emperor was kneeling in front of him, for the second time in his life, Mulan being his first.

"My son, I went to pieces when you were taken. Your mother went hysterical when she found out, which led to her death soon after," The Emperor paused for a second, in respect for his wife.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard about Mama's death," Tao said, sounding bored. "What happened to Ming Hua?" _(A/N: Ming Hua is actually a name, is doesn't mean anything. I checked)_

"Ming Hua was upset over your kidnapping as well. He was very fond of you, you know that Tao,"

"I know. He wasn't a very good brother you know, always following me around. He was two years my junior and he acted like such a baby! He still sucked his thumb!" Tao snapped. The Emperor looked on sadly.

"You weren't always like this. What happened? Before you were taken, you were the happiest boy in all of China. Nothing ever upset you, you had loving parents, fame, wealth and you were close to your brother. Is there nothing left of my son in you?" The Emperor pleaded. Tao turned tortured eyes to his father.

"I did die the day you left me. I felt betrayed by you, I felt unloved, unwanted and hated. I was so angry at you, at the Empire, at everybody. I had to cry myself to sleep until a year after my kidnapping. Why did you never come after me?"

"I could not give up China. I had to protect it, my people and..." The Emperor paused. "I couldn't give so many lives just for one. I had to leave you. Likewise, you cannot imagine the pain I went through, every single night, knowing that I had two peoples blood on my hands, you and my wife. She never recovered from your capture, she went insane. She would run around the Palace screaming for you. She wouldn't eat, nor sleep or do anything. In the end, she stabbed herself. She said that she would see you when you died, in the Ancestral World," _(A/N: Are they the right words?)_

Tao shrugged. "I was not close to Mama. She was, in many ways, a pain. I am glad that she's dead," The Emperor felt revolted but chose not to say anything, wisely.

"Why can't I do it?" Tao said suddenly to his father. "Why can't I take China?"

"I do not know. What is stopping you from killing me and claiming my throne? You are my eldest son; you know that you are next in line. All that is in the way is me," The Emperor said. Tao glared at him.

"I could easily kill you. Yet, there are still people out there to challenge me and try to force me off the throne,"

"You are talking of Mulan and her friends," The Emperor prompted. Tao remained silent. "There are always two problems,"

Tao frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The mind and the heart,"

Tao cocked his eyebrows. "Yeah, all right. The mind is obviously you. You're the person on my mind now, seeing as you're the person in the way of my throne," Tao paused. He knew what was next.

"What about your heart?"

"I have no person in my heart," Tao snapped. He knew his father would not believe him, yet he said it anyway.

"Really?" The Emperor seemed to be mocking him.

"I can kill you. You are no problem to me, old man," Tao turned away from him.

"What about your heart?"

"I could not kill my heart,"

"Yet you've killed so many people Tao. How can you not kill this one person?" Tao turned around to face his father, anger written all over his face.

"Where is your pendant?" The Emperor asked.

"What?" Tao snapped back. He looked down. His usual jade pendant was missing from his chest.

"I gave you that pendant when you were a baby. Where is it?" The Emperor asked.

"I gave it to Mulan," Tao answered sullenly. He began to feel like the Emperor was now in control.

"Mulan?!" The Emperor repeated, astonished.

"What?" Tao snapped back. He was getting angry now, his fists were clenched and his face was slowly turning red.

"You know who your heart and mind are. Should you get rid of both of them, you could rule China," The Emperor said. He was hiding his surprise that his son was in love with Mulan very well.

"I could not kill my heart," Tao repeated.

"Why not?"

"Because she is my heart!" He snapped. "You're not making any sense. Mulan doesn't come into this!"

"Yes she does. If I die, she'll try and stop you. Knowing her, she'll succeed as well. Her friends would help her as well. If she were to die as well, they would break apart,"

"What is my pendant?" Tao snapped. "You asked for it suddenly. What is it?"

"It is a key,"

"To what?"

"I don't know. I think only Mulan can tell you,"

Tao glared at him. "I am glad I was kidnapped you know. I count myself lucky to have not grown up here, having to listen to you all the goddamn time," Tao walked slowly over to his father and towered over him. "I don't care what the pendant is, how Mulan comes into this, or you but I promise you I'll have my revenge on you for leaving me. I don't forgive easily," He hissed into his father's ear before striding out the room.

×××

Mulan's head was hurting, remembering the past few days.

FLASHBACK (When Tao gave Mulan the pendant):

"Mulan?" Tao bent over her. "You awake?"

Mulan yawned and longed to stretch. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I was bored,"

"So you woke me up?" Mulan snapped, grumpily. Tao began to smile.

"Here," He reached around his neck and pulled off his pendant. It was made of jade and carved into a dragon. It sparkled in the sun, which didn't happen often with jade. It was smooth with no sharp edges. "I want you to have this," He hung it around her neck.

"Why?" She craned her neck forward to look at it. "It's beautiful. Thank you,"

"So you'd remember me," Tao smiled.

"I don't really want to know if I want to remember a Hun," Mulan grinned.

"How about to remember a friend?"

"Yeah...I could do that," She smiled.

END FLASHBACK

"Why did he give it to me?" She whispered to herself. "It's not like he's my friend..." Her voice trailed off. She knew what she just said was a lie. "What am I feeling for him? Is he really just my friend?" The word 'friend' kept pounding in her mind.

She looked over to Shang's cell, where he was sprawled on the floor, fast asleep. She knew that, in her heart, she loved Shang yet...now Tao had come in, he was clouding her feelings _(A/N: That makes sense, right?). "I've only known Tao for a few days and can I already feel so weirdly for him? I've known Shang a lot longer and I know I love him while I don't know what I'm feeling for Tao,"_ She thought. She watched as Shang began to stir in his sleep. His head was tossing and turning and she could hear groans coming from him.

Fung, by now, had also woken up. "Anyone awake?" He called out.

"Yeah," Mulan said quietly back. Fung heard her, however. He looked over at Shang who was almost rolling around in his sleep. "You reckon he's all right?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," He gulped. "I think," Mulan smiled.

"You know what? I think that the relief of seeing you alive and well is making him feel weird," Fung said cleverly. He knew that this would annoy Mulan, or get her to talk properly. She was always evasive when it came to matters of the heart.

"I'm fine," She replied, blankly.

"Was the camp really not that bad?" Fung asked her.

"It wasn't,"

Fung could tell that she was uncomfortable with the whole subject, but he knew that if he could keep pressing on her, she would let everything out.

"They didn't hurt you or anything?"

"No. Well, not physically. They would laugh at me...and...jeer at me..." Her voice trailed off again.

"_We're getting there. At least she's talking about it now,"_ Fung thought. He had to stop himself from grinning.

"How do you know Tao?" He probed her a little further.

"He was my guard," She repeated from earlier. "...and my friend,"

Fung's eyebrows shot up. He knew that Mulan was semi-friendly towards the Hun leader, but he had no idea she was on friendly terms with him.

"He would...talk to me. We would talk about our life...our friends...our likes and dislikes. We would sing also. He could make me laugh...he would help me when I was upset...he would feed me when I was hungry...he made me feel good," Mulan carried on. She felt surprised at herself, she had never realised how much she had come to appreciate Tao.

"He's a Hun, Mulan," Fung said gently.

"I know...yet he doesn't seem like one. He's too...nice,"

"Nice? He pointed a sword to his father's back!" Fung snapped.

"Yes, he did. But...he isn't like that,"

"Mulan, he was deceiving you from the start! He was the Hun leader, when you just thought he was a guard. He was the Emperor's son when you thought he was just some Hun. Don't you realise that he might have been lying to, all along?" Fung reasoned. It all sounded so simple.

"I've thought about it," Her responses were getting shorter. Fung noticed this and decided to back down. He gave a long, loud fake yawn.

"Well, I'm getting tired now-,"

"Didn't you just wake up?" Mulan interrupted. "Fung, if you don't want to carry on talking about it, then just say so," She began to smile.

"I thought you didn't," He replied.

"I don't. Yet, it feels good that I have," She began to smile. Fung grinned too.

Then, the dungeon door clicked and flung open. A large Hun guard stood there, his huge frame blocking most of the light. He stamped over to Mulan's cell and inserted a key into the lock. The cell door creaked and swung open.

"The Leader wishes to see you," He rasped. Mulan nodded and got up slowly, her legs hurting. She tottered out the door and walked past Fung to the open door out the dungeon.

"Try to escape, won't you?" Fung whispered through the cell. Mulan grinned.

"I'll try," She hissed back. The guard pushed her through the door then slammed it behind them. It echoed around the room and brought Shang back from his sleep.

"What? What was that?" He looked over at Mulan's empty cell. "Where's Mulan? Oh god, what have they done to her?" He jumped up.

"Shang, sit down! She had to go talk to the Tao guy," Fung replied.

"Oh," Shang's heart sank. He lowered himself to the floor. "This sucks. I hate being captured,"

"No one likes being captured, dumbass," Fung snapped. Shang smiled. "How are going to get out of here?" Fung went on. Shang shrugged.

"I think all we can do is wait,"

"Some General you are," Fung smirked. Shang glared at him.

"Shut up..."

"Maybe we should send Mushu," Fung said. "Where is he anyway?" He added.

"I don't know. I only remember seeing him when I found Mulan's ribbon in the Emperor's hat." Shang said, reliving the past. "I hope she's going to be all right," He added, more to himself than Fung.

"She'll be fine. She's strong," Fung comforted.

"I know. I worry about her," Shang pulled out something from inside his cape. He ran Mulan's ribbon through his fingers and let the material waft through the air. "I hope she'll be all right,"

_A/N: Not a very long chapter, but I wanted to finish it because I hadn't updated for weeks. This one isn't very well written either, when I look back on it. I need to include more thoughts. Please leave a review and remember that there are no negative reviews, only constructive ones! Also, remember to add a comment of whether I should have a big bunch of marriages in the end! Thanks!! _


	7. Pendant Colours

**Disclaimer:** _I own Fung, Lao Ren, Kai Bo and Tao. Thanks!_

**CHAPTER SEVEN – Pendant Colours**

_A/N: Not as many reviews as normal, but thank you anyway to choc-cookie, oneredneckgoddess, Lynn12 and Cassandra Lui for their reviews. Special thanks to my extremely faithful reviewers: pepe ok, sumayyah and Angel452. You guys are the best!!_

Cri-Kee rubbed his head and prodded Mushu as they had, for the second time, fallen off someone's shoulder. When Yao had sprinted down the stairs towards the Emperor and the approaching Huns, they had toppled off him and fell to the floor. Mushu had hit his head and blacked out while Cri-Kee managed to land on top of Mushu, managing to not harm himself. Cri-Kee, being far away from everyone, didn't see what happened on the landing, but had managed to pull Mushu behind a banister in time for the whole procession of Huns and Imperials to walk past them, up into the Palace. Cri-Kee had been too preoccupied with dragging Mushu out the way to see Mulan, the Emperor and Tao go past, but he had managed to see Fung, Yao, Ling, Shang and the Huns go past. Puzzled at the absence of one person, Cri-Kee turned to see an unconscious Wong lying on the second landing.

"Mushu?" He bit hard on Mushu's tail, causing poor Mushu to leap two feet into the air.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Mushu scowled. He swivelled his tail around to inspect the bitten part. It drooped miserably on the ground. "My poor tail..." Mushu's eyes welled up in fake tears. Cri-Kee slapped him, hard.

"We have no time! As we were knocked out, well just you, everyone went past. We have no idea what's happening or if anything is. So, come on!" Cri-Kee bounced off up the stairs. Mushu came running after.

When they came to the Palace doors, two Huns were guarding them on each side. Mushu glanced worriedly at Cri-Kee, who pointed to another door further along. Mushu gave Cri-Kee a thumbs up and they sped along to the other door. They sneaked in and came to a small room full of brooms and buckets. Mushu glared at Cri-Kee.

"This is your idea of getting in, Lucky Bug? We're stuck in a closet full of brooms!" Mushu snapped. He moved to get out the door when a sudden blast of wind made the door swing shut.

"Uh oh..." Cri-Kee muttered. Mushu rammed himself against the door, but to no avail. The door stayed shut. Mushu kicked it angrily.

"Now what do we do?" He turned to the cowering Cri-Kee. "This is your fault Lucky Bug!"

"I have a name, you know!" Cri-Kee snapped.

"If we had just gone through the main doors, we wouldn't be stuck in here!" Mushu rambled on, ignoring Cri-Kee.

Angrily, Cri-Kee yelled back at him. "No, we would have been beaten into pulps by those Hun guards! Didn't you see them? They would have squashed you flat!"

"I'm a guardian, aren't I? I can't die! Besides, I much rather be squashed by a Hun guard then spend the rest of my life stuck in a broom closet with an Un-Lucky Bug!" Mushu shouted back.

"Okay, okay!" Cri-Kee snapped. "Listen, us arguing isn't going to help anyone. So, let's just think of a way out of here,"

"Yeah, okay," Mushu sighed and sank down onto a bucket.

Silence.

"Could we push open the door with a broom?" Cri-Kee suggested. Mushu shook his head.

"I think it's locked,"

"We could try," Cri-Kee bounced over to a broom and stared up at it's gigantic form. "It's a bit big, huh?" Cri-Kee turned to Mushu, who was sitting on his bucket, his eyebrows raised.

"Lucky Bug, this is not going to work," Mushu reasoned. Ignoring him, Cri-Kee scampered around the broom and pushed against it with his body. Slowly, it began to tilt hen fell with a crash onto the floor.

"Whoa!" Mushu jumped back as the broom collapsed in front of his bucket. "Good going Lucky Bug," Mushu leapt off his bucket and picked up one end of the broom. "Give me a hand! It was your idea," Reluctantly, Cri-Kee hopped over and picked up the other end of the broom.

Together, they charged towards the door and slammed the end of the broom into it. With the force of broom hitting the door, the broom rebounded, sending Mushu and Cri-Kee flying off it and straight into the other wall.

"Well, that was good!" Mushu snapped. The broom bristles had landed in Mushu's face making his voice sound muffled. He pushed the end of the broom away and stood up. "Some plan, Lucky Bug. So here we are, back to square one. How are we going to get out now?"

Cri-Kee came out from behind the broom and looked around. Then, he saw something in the top corner.

"Hey," He nudged Mushu in the ribs. "Is that an air-hole?"

"What?" Mushu looked into the direction that Cri-Kee was pointing. "You're a genius Lucky Bug!" Mushu ran over until he was directly beneath the hole. "One question, how are we going to get up there?"

"I don't know," Cri-Kee came over.

"Maybe we could climb up a broom," Mushu suggested. Cri-Kee's face lit up.

"That's a great idea!"

Mushu yanked the nearest broom over and then placed it so it led directly up to the hole.

"You want to go up first, Lucky Bug?" Mushu asked, turning to Cri-Kee.

"Sure," Cri-Kee began scrambling up the pole, only to slide down a few seconds after. He tried again, but slid down again. "I think something's wrong with this pole," He concluded, looking it up and down with dislike.

"This is just like the Mulan thing. Maybe we should do what she did," Mushu offered. He tore a few bristles out of a nearby broom and handed a long one to Cri-Kee. "You don't weight much, this shouldn't break,"

"Right," Cri-Kee took the bristle and began to climb up the pole, in a similar way to Mulan had in her first time at Wu Zhong. Mushu followed up after Cri-Kee.

The air hole was a long dark passage, presumably giving air to the broom cupboard from another room. Mushu scampered down the passage, a more cautious Cri-Kee following. The air hole ended up in a large room, which was furnished lavishly. White tiles covered the floors, green dragons circled the windows, polished furniture was scattered across the room and paintings of men, women and animals hung on the walls. However, both Mushu and Cri-Kee's gaze was drawn to the centre of this room, where a man dressed in grey was sitting on a chair, a small woman kneeling at his feet.

"Mulan!" Mushu cried, darting forward. Cri-Kee grabbed him to stop him leaping out of the air hole.

"What are you doing?" Cri-Kee hissed. "There are bound to notice something, if you dive out of here yelling at the top of your voice,"

"That's Mulan there!" Mushu snapped back.

"I know, I know," Cri-Kee replied patiently. "Be quiet, they're talking and I want to hear what they are saying,"

Mushu lay down on the stomach, his head sticking out the air hole to hear their conversation better. Cri-Kee lay down next to him, on his back. They both fell silent when they heard the man talk.

×××

"Why do you kneel before me?" Tao asked Mulan. She raised her face, her eyes slightly red, her lips pouting and her eyes hard.

"'Cause otherwise you would kill me?" Mulan said, standing up, despite not having had got permission.

"I wouldn't kill you," Tao smiled. Mulan kept her face straight.

"What do you want with me then?" She asked.

"To be honest-,"

"You're always honest," Mulan interrupted.

"I knew you weren't okay with that," Tao sighed. Mulan frowned.

"Hello? How could I be okay with it? I trusted you! ...Which is weird now that I think about it, as you are a Hun,"

"I thought I was your friend," Tao commented.

"Well, you're not anymore," Mulan snapped. Tao's heart sank when she said that. He swore he could actually feel the thud of it as it landed in his stomach.

"Yeah..." His voice trailed off. Mulan could feel her cheeks flushing and her own heart started to beat a little faster. _"Okay...this is weird. Why am I feeling so strange? It's just embarrassment...right? I wish I hadn't said that now...You and your big mouth Mulan. Why don't you think before you say anything?" _Mulan sighed inside.

"What are you doing to do now?" Mulan asked, going back to her original question.

"I don't know," Tao answered.

"What? You're the Leader! I thought you would have a plan!" Mulan said, astonished at him.

"I did..." Tao's voice disappeared into nothingness again.

"Why not?" Mulan's voice softened. Tao looked at her, his eyes losing their hardness.

"I don't know," He repeated.

"You know what I think?" Mulan said. She walked over to his chair and sat down at his feet. He looked down at her, resisting the urge to smile.

"What?"

"I reckon that there's still a bit of Empire left in you. That's why you can't kill your father to take his throne. Either that or you still have some compassion buried inside you that's preventing you from hurting him because you still love him. He is your father Tao, and you know that. You just don't want to admit to yourself that you feel for him, because you feel you would be betraying the memory of Shan-Yu," Mulan said. Tao was stunned by this speech.

"_How does she know exactly what I'm feeling? Does she already know me that well?" _Tao thought to himself.

"Were you happy, Tao?" She asked him.

"About what?" Tao asked her, even thought he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Your childhood. Well, before you were captured," Mulan said.

Tao stayed silent for a while. "Yes...yes I was. Every day was another day in....paradise. That's the only word for it. I had a good home, my brother was my best friend and my parents loved me. I was spoilt, I had a good education and...I loved it,"

"And what?" Mulan asked him gently.

"I was heartbroken when I was captured. I did feel betrayed when my father did not come for me. I cried every night and sometimes during the day. Shan-Yu would whip me, punch me and kick me when I cried. I soon learnt now to show emotion in front of him. You'd be surprised the number of Huns who are actually captives. They don't remember it because they were kidnapped as babies," Tao paused and looked at Mulan. She looked sad and sorry for him.

"As my life went on, I tried so hard to adapt to the life of a Hun. I always knew that I wasn't and yet...I convinced myself that I was. I taught myself to forget about my past...then gradually I did. I went through about two years of my life when I had actually forgotten about my Empire life," Tao choked. Mulan could see his was holding back tears.

"Then you were captured and I had to take charge of you. You had spent all of your life as an Imperial and you taught me so much. You did awaken the sense of family inside me. It brought my Empire life back into the light and...I was suddenly awake of how much I missed everything," He turned to Mulan; a tortured look on his face. "I didn't want to hurt anybody back then...but I convinced myself it was the right thing to do,"

Silence.

"What do you want to do now, Tao?"

"To rule China," His feeble response was.

"No," Mulan said. "What do you want now?"

Tao didn't answer. He stared ahead, his eyes wide and staring. "I want to rid myself of everything that's happened. I don't want to be part of anything anymore. I want to be alone...I want to go,"

"Then go,"

"What?" Tao snapped, suddenly angry. "Leave? How can I leave?"

"You just said you wanted to go. Why can't you?"

"I have no where to go,"

"What? China's a big place, Tao. You could go to the mountains or the country," Mulan suggested.

Tao gave her a big smile. "You're one of a kind, you know Mulan,"

Mulan flushed. She felt the heat creep up her cheeks, so she bent her head to let her hair swing in front of her face. "Really?"

"Yeah. You're really pretty and your have a good heart. You have inner beauty as well as outer beauty," Tao slid off his seat, sat next to her and took her hand. Mulan flushed even more and her head was sinking towards her lap.

"Is your head heavy?" Tao smirked. Mulan jerked up and grinned.

"Never mind,"

Tao reached forward towards her. _"Oh my god, what the hell is he going to do?"_ Mulan thought anxiously. Tao's hand dropped towards the jade pendant hanging on her chest. _"Oh thank god!"_

"Do you know what this is?" Tao asked her. Mulan looked down at it, the jade glittering in Tao's fingers. She shook her head. "It allows one person to feel the other,"

"What?"

"This pendant was made for me. As I started the chain, whoever I give it to can feel what I'm feeling. It'll change colour with each different feeling. If it's a reddy-pink, it means happiness. If it's red, it means happiness or love. Likewise, grey means sadness or suffering. It'll only change for a few seconds, when the feelings from the other person are really strong. Or, if the feeling is long and drawn out, like suffering, it'll stay that colour until they aren't suffering anymore. Most of the time, it'll be pale or dark green," Tao explained. _"I wonder if my father knew that I knew what it is. I don't think he believed me when I asked him what it was. He always could tell if I wasn't being truthful," _Tao thought.

"Wow..." Mulan's eyes lit up. She took the pendant from Tao's fingers, her fingertips gently brushing against his.

"It'll also let you know if I'm near. Look at it now. What colour is it?"

"It's pale green. I'm not blind Tao," She smiled. Tao grinned.

"It's pale now because I'm near. Should I be far away, it'll be a dark green. Then...if I die, then it'll go black. If you die, it'll fall and shatter," Tao went on. Mulan grimaced at the 'die' part.

"Wait, it's jade. Jade doesn't shatter easily,"

"Mulan, this isn't normal jade. I thought you would have got that already," Tao smirked. Mulan glared at him playfully. "As you're on the receiving end of it, it'll smash when you die. But, if you give it to someone before you go, they will feel all your emotions and then it'll just go black when you die," he said.

"Whoa...It's funny isn't it? Something so small...can do so much," _(A/N: I sort of stole that line from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, so no one sue me...please. I did kind of change it though) _Mulan gazed down at the pendant. _"Is it just me...or is it turning slightly red?"_ Mulan thought, staring down at it. Tao, instantly realizing it was turning red, stood up hurriedly and clicked his fingers. Somehow, this was heard from outside and two large Huns guards came in.

"Take her back to the dungeon!" Tao commanded. His voice had changed drastically, it was now hard and imposing compared to the tender, gentle tone he had been speaking in earlier.

The guards strode forward and hauled Mulan up, the pendant falling from her outstretched hands. Almost as in slow-motion, the pendant fell, now a bright, vibrant red instead of pale green.

Mulan's mouth fell open at the pendant and her head jerked up. Her eyes met Tao's and all his feelings came out, from just that one look. His cheeks shot up into the exact same shade of the pendant. He turned away from Mulan, his shoulders shivering. Mulan's mouth stayed open as she was dragged out the room.

×××

Mushu turned slowly to Cri-Kee, puzzled. They had been too far away to see the pendant change colour, but they had heard all of Mulan and Tao's conversation. "What was that all about? How does she know that Hun?"

Cri-Kee shrugged. "I don't know. Look, if we're quick, we can follow her to the dungeon. Then, we might be able to get some answers out of her,"

"Good thinking Lucky Bug. Come on, let's go," Mushu scooted over to the nearby curtain _(A/N: Deliberately placed curtain...:D) _and slid down it. Cri-Kee followed him.

"Ow, ow, ow! Curtain burn!" Mushu winced, showing Cri-Kee his sore, red hands. Cri-Kee nodded and held up his own hands, they were red as well.

"Okay, let's go quickly!" Cri-Kee said. Together, they hurried over to door and slithered on their stomachs under the door. When they straightened up, they could see the Hun guards escorting Mulan back to the dungeon.

"Okay, let's go Lucky Bug," Mushu pepped Cri-Kee. They bolted down the corridor, slipping and sliding on the tiled floor. They skidded around the corner in time to see Mulan being forced down some steps. They rushed after her.

Mulan was taken down another corridor, then down some more steps. These led to the 'dismal' part of the Palace, where the dungeons were as well as the torture area for traitors and criminals. The walls here were painted black and the floor was wooden. The dungeon had a wooden door as well as bars across it. The first Hun guard unlocked it with a key while the second opened the door and shoved Mulan in. She almost tripped with the force of the push.

×××

Shang and Fung looked up as Mulan stumbled in. Ling and Yao were still asleep, but Shang and Fung had been discussing what Tao could have wanted with Mulan. Shang was immensely relieved to see that wasn't hurt or injured.

"Mulan? Are you okay? What did he want?" Fung asked her. She didn't say anything, but let the Hun push her into the cell. She collapsed onto the floor as the guard slammed the door of her cell, then flung the dungeon door shut.

Mulan sat up and leaned her head against the bars. The coolness of it began to calm her down and let her think properly. She ignored Fung and Shang's questions as she was too occupied with her own thoughts.

"_It went red, didn't it? Does that mean Tao loves me?"_ Mulan blushed to herself, though secretly pleased. _"I always thought he regarded me as a friend. I had no idea he loved me..." _She glanced down at the pendant which was still glowing red. _"It's reddy-pink for happiness, isn't it? This is a clear shade of red,"_ She picked it up and traced the dragon with her finger. _"Tao loves me? Since when? Maybe that's why he isn't hurting me...or anybody..."_

"Mulan!" Fung almost shouted. She looked over at him, letting the pendant fall.

"Yeah?"

"What happened? What did he want to say?" Fung pressed her. Shang was watching her, looking worried and curious.

"_What am I meant to say? I can't tell them that Tao loves me; they'll both have a fit. Besides...I love Shang...Tao shouldn't have anything to do with it...Do I love Tao? I know I feel stuff for him, but I don't know if it's love. I guess the fact that he's the Hun leader, the Emperor's son and my ex-guard is kind of getting in my way now..."_ Mulan cursed inside. "He just wanted to tell me about his past. You know, about his kidnapping and his childhood..." Her voice trailed off, making both Shang and Fung believe that he had said more to her than that.

"That all?" Shang went on. Mulan nodded. "Mulan..." Mulan looked over at him. He scooted over from the back of his cell towards the bars. "You'd tell me-," Fung coughed loudly. "-I mean us, if anything was wrong...right? Sometimes it's better to talk about things,"

"Especially when it's with your favorite guardian!" A voice from the front of the dungeon called. Startled, Mulan, Shang and Fung looked over to see Mushu standing there, with Cri-Kee by his side.

"Guys!" Mulan cried. Mushu and Cri-Kee bounded over to her cell and threw themselves into her outstretched arms. She gave them a big hug each then they had a group hug. Fung grinned at Shang, who held back his laughter.

"Where've you been?" Mulan asked, when Mushu and Cri-Kee sat down in front of her.

"We fell out when you were hit by the arrow. Oh yeah, about that arrow, how's your arm?" Mushu asked.

"It's fine now. It doesn't hurt," Mulan said, rolling up her sleeve to show Mushu the blood-stained bandage. It was a lie; it still stung because of the lousy bandage. It wasn't stopping the blood and the clotting wasn't strong enough to stop the blood flowing as it was a deep cut.

"Honey, are you all right now? What did that Tao guy say about some pendant?" Mushu pressed on. Mulan clamped her hand over his mouth, but both Fung and Shang heard it.

"Pendant? What?" The both burst out. Mulan sighed and glared at Mushu, who shrugged apologetically back.

"It's a long story,"

"We got time," Shang said. Just then, a loud thud echoed from upstairs and a piercing shriek filled the air. Suddenly, a sharp bolt of pain shot through the pendant and into Mulan. She cried out in shock and pain.

"Mulan? What is it?" Shang cried. Fung looked worriedly over, the thudding and yelling still going on above their heads.

Ignoring them, Mulan clutched at the pendant and looked at it. It was a dark grey. Mulan's breath caught in her throat. Another thud made the pendant fall from her hand then the dungeon door burst open, a large figure blocking the doorway.

_A/N: Another chapter up. I think my writing standard is going down with each chapter...:'( Anyway! I hope the whole thing about the pendant wasn't too magical as this was in Ancient China. Please leave a review, and please answer the question about marriages I put in the end of Chapter Six. Thank you!!_


	8. Coming and Going

**Disclaimer:** _Own nothing. Want everything. Thanks!_

**CHAPTER EIGHT – Coming and Going **

_A/N: Look at all the reviews!! Thank you to lobs-stacey-ters and serilia for their reviews. BIG BIG BIG thanks to my loyal reviewers Dragon Spirit Fighter, sumayyah, choc-cookie, Angel452 and narfgirl._

_I'd also like to give a HUGE thank you to JoEbLoG for his...interesting review. Okay, just for you..._

_**MiniEllie's Vow**: I promise to update at least every week and I'll be nice...even though I'm nice all the time already. :D_

_Oh yeah...just one other thing...does everybody prefer Tao to Shang? I'm trying to bring Shang into it more but, when you review, can you just say whether you prefer Tao or Shang, I just need to know for future chapters and stuff. Thanks!!_

"Guys!" A cheery voice rang out to them, their fears and doubts gone in an instant.

"Chien-Po!" Everyone yelled back. Chien-Po stepped towards them, his beaming face glowing. He was holding a bunch of keys in one hand and a bloody sword was swinging at his waist.

"Thank God! Where the hell have you been?" Ling cried. Both he and Yao had woken up when the first big bang came.

"What do you mean?" Chien-Po snapped and then his gaze fell on Mulan. "Mulan! You're okay!" Chien-Po ran over to her and inserted the key into her cell door.

"Hey! Just because she was captured by Huns, she gets out the cell first!" Fung protested. He banged his cell bars angrily. Ignoring him, Chien-Po flung open Mulan's cell door and pulled her into a big bear hug.

"You're okay! You're okay!" Chien-Po cried. He lifted Mulan off her feet and swung her around in the air, just like he had done when she had met in her village.

"Yeah, I'm fine...just a little dizzy now," Mulan said. Chien-Po placed her back on the floor and grinned at her.

"We were so worried about you and-" He paused, puzzled. "How come you're in the dungeon with the rest of them?"

"Chien-Po! Before you start asking Mulan questions, do you mind letting us out first?" Shang yelled. "I'm the General! You should have let me out first!"

"Aaw, gee Shang. I hope you use your new position for some good, not flaunting it," Yao snapped, irritably. Shang glared at him, remembering the day back in Wu Zhong when Yao yelled at everybody. It seemed years ago; despite the fact it was only about two or three days ago.

"Okay, okay," Chien-Po unlocked Shang, then Fung, Yao and, finally Ling. Just as Ling stepped out, another deafening crash was heard from the floor above. The force of the crash caused dust to fall from the dungeon ceiling's rafters. Everyone winced as the dust landed in their hair.

"Okay, we should get moving," Mushu said.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Ling replied, immediately after Mushu. They all hurried out the dungeon, up the stairs out of the 'dismal' part of the Palace into the brightly lit, painted and furnished part of the Palace.

"There they are!" A gruff voice yelled. They all turned to see five Huns approaching them, waving their swords or loading their bows with arrows.

Fung pushed Mulan out of the way as arrows rained down on them then he, Shang, Yao and Ling charged forward to fight the Huns as Chien-Po and Mulan untied a nearby curtain and let it swing open. This unfolded and neatly settled over the Huns. The Huns yelled and struck out, wondering what the hell had happened to them. Shang took this advantage and plunged his sword into five different places behind the curtain. The yelling and struggling stopped as a trickle of red blood flowed out from behind the curtain. Mulan pulled a face.

"Nice trick," Shang grinned at her. Mulan smiled back, her head still filled with pictures of dying Huns. She knew that they deserved it as they had killed hundreds of people before but she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. "Are you all right?" Shang asked her.

Fung, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po had gone ahead to scout around for more Huns. This wasn't a hard task as thuds, crashes and screams were still echoing around the Palace.

Mulan nodded.

"I know you feel sorry for the Huns, but, to be honest, they sort of had it coming. Remember they captured you..." Shang said, trying to comfort her. She nodded again and looked into Shang's eyes. They were still the same, deep black with warmth and security in them...and yet...she couldn't help but shudder when she saw his blood-stained sword out of the corner of her eye. _"He's still a killer...no matter what he says or does. He's in the army Mulan, he has to kill people. Even you did...at the Tung Shao Pass and here...where you killed Shan-Yu," _Mulan's thoughts paused._ "You're a killer too..."_

"Mulan? I don't think we can hand around much longer. There still are loads of Huns and we have no idea where the Emperor is," Shang said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Sure," Mulan replied. Smiling, Shang took her hand and they ran down the corridor together. They skidded around the corner to see Fung battling a Hun with swords, Yao and Ling were firing arrows with bows, quivers and arrows Chien-Po had lent them and Chien-Po had two Huns in each elbow-joint and was bashing their heads together. Both Mulan and Shang burst out laughing when they saw this.

Mulan suddenly whirled around to see a Hun above to bring a sword down on Shang's head. She kicked him in the chest, causing him to cry out. Shang heard this and whipped around, drawing his sword. He sank his sword into the Hun's chest. Blood spurted out, splattering over Mulan and Shang's clothes. A little bit disgusted, Mulan wiped it off her face as Shang did the same.

"Thanks," Shang smiled at her.

"No problem," She answered, her own smile growing. A cry of pain brought both of them back to the situation.

Yao was lying on the floor, a Hun standing on him, crushing his spine. Fung shot two arrows simultaneously at the Hun, who didn't seem affected by them. Chien-Po came up from behind and knocked the Hun off a choking Yao. Mulan ran forward to help Yao up, only to be knocked down by another Hun, who had appeared from nowhere. Standing up, Mulan brought her foot up to kick the Hun, when he grabbed her foot and span her around, making her ankle twist and yell to come from her. She wrenched herself out of his grip, her ankle weak and stinging. Picking up a sword from the floor, Mulan parried several blows then lashed out, her sword tip driving into the Hun's side. Just like the other Hun, he did not seem affected by this. Mulan backed away as the Hun came towards her, barring her teeth. He brought his sword down on her head, as she gripped her sword with two hands, blocked the blow aimed for her head and then smashed her sword into his chin, forcing him back and he lost his grip on the sword, which clattered to the floor. She threw her sword at him, aiming straight for the heart. It was a good throw; it hit the Hun straight in the heart. He collapsed backwards, his hair lying on his shoulders, blood leaking fiercely from his side. Sickened, Mulan went forward and looked down at her dead enemy. He seemed to be smiling.

"That's weird..." She thought. She took his sword from the floor and placed it in his hand, curling his limp fingers around the hilt.

"You're nice to your opponents," Fung said from behind her. He was leaning on a wall, strands of matted hair falling out his bun and blood-stained hands holding the hilt of a sword stained in red. He was smiling mischievously at her with one eyebrow raised. The remaining Huns were being dealt with by Shang and Ling. Chien-Po had Yao slung over his shoulders and was kicking out at anyone who came near him.

"I guess he needed a bit of honour in his death,"

"He did. He was killed by the heroine of China," Fung smiled. Mulan grinned back. "Either that or you feel sorry for him..."

"I do,"

"Is it because of Tao? Has he changed your way of looking at Huns?"

"What? Are you kidding? Believe me, I hate Huns. They're so dumb. They invade countries for no reason and disturb everyone. Tao wasn't a Hun, that's why he's my friend," Mulan said, walking past Fung. Fung watched her bend down next to another Hun, who resembled the one she had just killed. _"Poor Mulan. She shouldn't have to live the life of a warrior,"_ Fung thought.

"Mulan! Mulan!" Mushu yelled. He and Cri-Kee ran towards her, they had been scouting around to see where people were. "Guys! The Emperor's in his throne room, with Lao Ren and Kai Bo! I think you better get up there!"

The whole lot of them dashed up the corridor, round corners, down more corridors. It was a good thing Shang knew the inside of the Palace well, otherwise they would have been running around for hours, not knowing where the hell they were.

Just as they approached the throne room, Mulan saw, out of the corner of her eye, a corridor leading to a balcony, where a man lay.

"Tao!" Mulan murmured to herself. She left the group, ran down the corridor to where Tao lay. No one noticed she had left.

::::

Mulan burnt her knees as she skidded into a kneeling position next to Tao. He was bleeding in his side and two arrows were sticking out his arm.

"Oh my god...Tao! Tao! Can you hear me?" Mulan bent over his face and pinched his cheek. This brought Tao back to consciousness.

"Whoa!" He grabbed Mulan's hand in an iron-strong grip.

"Tao?" Mulan asked, wriggling her hand out of his.

"Mulan? Oh god, what are you doing here?" He noticed the blood on her clothes. "What happened to you?" He sat up suddenly then groaned. Mulan pushed him back down.

"I had a few encounters with Huns. I'm okay, so don't ask. What happened to you?" She gestured to the arrows sticking out his arm.

"I was leaving...and they saw me...they obviously knew I was going...and they shot me. They left me out here...to die probably," Tao winced at the memory. Mulan closed her eyes in frustration.

"I should never have told you to go," She said, more to herself than to him.

"No, you were right. I'll...I'll never be an Imperial again. I shouldn't try to think I can change now," Tao sighed. Mulan pulled the sash from her training outfit off and began ripping it into pieces. _(A/N: She has two sashes around her waist, one for holding it together and...I just needed to add another one so she can help Tao!) _

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" Mulan snapped, impatient. "Lie back and keep still," She gently pulled one arrow out his arm and then wound a strip of fabric around it to slow the bleeding down.

Another crash from above her caused a piece of wood to fall, shattering on the balcony, spreading wood fragments around. Mulan began to cough; the wood dust and splinters were tickling and aggravating her throat. Hurriedly, she pulled the other arrow out and bandaged that up too as well as the wound in his side.

"Tao, can you walk? I can't carry you, I'm not strong enough!" Mulan cried, over the crashes, screams and sword sounds. Tao got up, gripping Mulan around the shoulders. Supporting him, Mulan ran down the corridor to the nearest door leading to outside.

Once outside, Tao let go of Mulan, shuddering as he supported himself on two feet. Mulan looked at him sadly.

"I've got to go now. I don't belong here...anymore," Tao turned away from him and started to walk away.

"Tao..." Mulan called after him. He turned back to her, her hair waving in the breeze. She looked so beautiful, even if she was just in her army training clothes. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know. But, I'll always hold you here..." He brought two hands up to his heart.

Mulan smiled. "Is that the pendant?"

"You know what I mean..."Tao smiled, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye..." He whispered. Then he turned away and simply melted into the evening darkness.

"Bye..." She whispered after him. She stood there watching where he had disappeared, her heart sinking every second. _"Tao does love me...do I love him? What about Shang? ...I'll find out some other time..."_

"Mulan!" Looking up, she saw Fung standing on a balcony, yelling at her. "What are you doing? Get up here!"

"Okay!" Mulan yelled back and watched as Fung disappeared back inside the Palace. The noise was dying now. Mulan turned back to where Tao had been standing and smiled to herself. Then, she ran back into the Palace.

::::

The battle was completely over. Lao Ren and Kai Bo had been captured and the Huns which had not been killed had either been captured or fled. They were now clustered in the throne room. Everyone looked a mess, with the exception of the Emperor.

Shang, Fung, Ling and Chien-Po were bruised, injured and blood was splattered over their clothing. Their swords were covered in blood and all their arrows were gone from their quivers. Yao had been taken to doctor as soon as he had entered the throne room, on the Emperor's orders. Ling had a scratch down his left cheek where a Hun had lost his sword and had decided to improvise. Fung's hair was sticking up on ends and as his ribbon had been yanked out by a Hun; his hair was hovering above his shoulders. Shang looked normal, his armour was in place and his cape wasn't torn or ripped. He looked as un-ruffled as he did in everyday-life, despite being soaked in blood. Mulan's training clothes were sprayed in blood as well, but otherwise she looked normal, apart from the sad look on her face. Shang had noticed this as soon as she entered the room but decided to keep quiet about it.

Lao Ren and Kai Bo had been handcuffed on their hands and wrists. They both had sullen looks on their faces and were refusing to say anything to anybody. Two Imperial guards were holding each arm on each Hun, totalling four altogether.

The Emperor was sitting in on his chair as his proper throne had been destroyed. The Emperor was heart-broken about the loss of his chair as, he claimed, it had been in the family for generations.

The whole of the West Wing was unaffected, though most of the Palace had been partially destroyed. The throne room had been the least affected of other wings, as it was the centre on the front Wing and you had to go through a maze full of corridors to get there. The furniture had been upturned and several bodies of Huns and Imperial guards were littering the floor as no one had removed them yet. Shang wasn't surprised at this. Blood was slowly creeping along the floor, a mixture of Hun and Imperial. Shang couldn't look at this without feeling slightly disgusted and guilty.

"I think you know what's going to happen to you now," The Emperor said. Lao Ren glared back at him, his mouth clamped shut. Kai Bo was staring at the floor, shuffling his feet. "I've arranged for your execution to be tomorrow, as well as the many Hun prisoners we have captive in the dungeon. It was foolish of you to try and take my throne, you should have realised that we have many armies been formed and trained throughout China. Ever since the Shan-Yu invasion, I have been more cautious and more protective of my country. Did you really think that you could take my throne?" This was a long speech for the Emperor, who seemed to be getting angry. Shang found this unusual, normally nothing disturbed the Emperor enough to get him going, not even the Shan-Yu invasion.

"I wasn't going to," Lao Ren answered grimly. "I was going to let Tao do it..." Lao Ren gnashed his teeth together in evident anger. "God, I was such a fool to trust the son of the Emperor. Son of the Emperor...son of a bitch!" Lao Ren spat, a small oyster of white froth forming on the floor.

"Thank god, he's gone now," Kai Bo commented. Lao Ren nodded, an evil grin spreading across his face. The Emperor's bushy eyebrows shot up, his face creased and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Sorry?"

"We left Tao to die on a balcony. He always was a waste of time; he could never have been a Hun. His technique was crap, he was weak and had too much feeling and emotion inside him," Lao Ren smirked at the Emperor. Then, he turned to a silent and white-faced Mulan. "Aaw...look at you...white-faced at the thought of your dear Tao gone," Lao Ren mocked her. Mulan's eyebrows rose and her face was slowly turned back to her normal peachy colour, empathized by her flushing and permanently-reddy pink cheeks.

"What?"

"We all know how he felt for you...," Lao Ren's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Don't try to hide it...we all know that he was in love with you!"

"What?!" Everyone said. Fung, Shang and Ling's mouths had dropped open and Chien-Po's eyes went wide. Mulan flushed.

"Why do you think he never hurt you?" Lao Ren went on. The heat was spreading up Mulan's cheeks like fire burning wood.

"That's enough!" The Emperor barked, coming out of his grieving silence for Tao. "Guards! Take them downstairs!" Everyone knew downstairs meant 'to the dungeon'.

The four guards dragged the Huns out the room, four more following for extra security. Lao Ren grinned evilly at Mulan, who couldn't help giggling at. Just for a split second, Kai Bo grinned back at her, before he was pulled out the throne room. Mulan, puzzled, stared at door which he had just left through.

"Mulan?" The Emperor called over to her. She looked over at him, his tired face showing sadness. "Has Tao gone?"

"No," She answered. "He was left on the balcony but then I treated him with some make-shift bandages," Despite everything, she began to grin. A mightily relieved Emperor grinned back at her.

"What happened to him?" Fung asked.

"He got shot by a Hun, twice. Then he had some wounds around his waist. It wasn't that bad, but he was losing a lot of blood," Mulan replied, then walked to a nearby chair and flopped down on it. Following her lead, Shang collapsed onto a couch next to Fung. Chien-Po turned an up-turned chair onto its legs then sat down on it, ignoring the creaking and the fact it was started to sag in the middle. Ling slumped onto another comfy chair, leaning his head back on the cushions. A sigh escaped his lips.

"I've been thinking..."He started. Everyone turned to him. "I want to get married..."

Everyone looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Offended, Ling sat up and frowned at everyone.

"What? How is it funny? It's not like I'm the first am I? Yao's betrothed and someone else has an eye on someone else!" He snapped, glaring at Shang who, previously had been laughing his head off, but was now glowering at him.

"Who?" Mulan asked. Embarrassed, Shang hung his head but Fung swooped in and managed to save Shang from dying of embarrassment.

"Why do you want to get married?" Fung asked Ling, who was aiming a satisfied smile at Shang. Mulan was still looking confused.

"I like the idea of having someone to love and look after," Ling suggested, a dreamy look crossing his eyes.

"You seriously think you're going to fall in love with a girl who's been through the match-making service?" Mulan said, scornfully. The Gang had all heard of her match-making fiasco. Shang hadn't and had no idea what she was talking about.

"I might. You never know, most people who get married via the matchmaking service end up falling in love,"

"That's it, exactly! They 'end up' falling in love. Wouldn't you rather marry for love?" Mulan put forward. Ling shrugged.

"No offence people, we haven't got time for this kind of talk. The Palace is about to fall down around us and we had a dungeon full of blood-thirsty Huns. I think we should deal with those problems first," Chien-Po protested.

"Yeah, you're right," Mulan backed down. Ling stuck his tongue out at her. She stuck her own out and they both began to laugh.

"Okay," The Emperor stood up. "My builder-people will be coming soon to fix the Palace and we had better leave before they start. I suggest you go to the guest suites in the West Wing, which has not been touched by the Huns. General Li, I assume you know where to go?" The Emperor said to Shang, who nodded back.

::::

"Nice place," Mushu stuck his head out from Mulan's collar and looked around her room. Mulan couldn't help but agree with him. "This definitely beats all of your other rooms,"

Mulan ran over and dived onto the bed, which bounced back up, sending her flying into the air about 30 centimetres above the bed. Giggling, Mulan lay on her back, staring at the white ceiling.

"I think you should change," Mushu commented from where he was sitting on her dressing table.

"Huh?"

"You stink of blood,"

Mulan sat up. "Really? I didn't think blood smelt,"

Mushu shrugged. "Okay, fine. Maybe you don't smell, but you sure look bad. Go change!" He pointed at her with his index finger.

"Okay, okay. You're starting to sound like my mother," Mulan grinned. She swung herself off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe. She flung the doors open and looked at the multicoloured dresses hanging there. She sighed. "All this fussing over dresses. It's all so...stupid," She took the nearest one of the rail and stalked into the bathroom.

Mushu turned to Cri-Kee, who was sitting next to him, yawning.

"You tired, Lucky Bug?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, don't fall asleep. The Emperor dude said that a diner is being prepared now, so you better stay awake. I ain't going to stay here with you and miss out on all the food. I haven't eaten since we left Wu Zhong,"

"No one else has either," Cri-Kee commented.

"Screw the others, I'm a guardian! I should be able to eat whenever I want to," Mushu snapped.

"Don't get worked out over nothing, Mushu," Cri-Kee yawned again and lay back on the dressing table. "I'm kind of hungry too,"

"No one has eaten for a while either, Lucky Bug. Don't be so selfish," Mushu snapped, cunningly.

"Screw the others; I'm a gong-ringer! I should be able to eat whenever I want to!" Cri-Kee protested. Then, realising what he had said, he got up and glared at Mushu. He was about to start yelling, well chirping, when Mulan came back in, dressed in a blue and white-floral patterned kimono with little blue shoes. She was holding her folded training clothes and her shoes were clasped in one fist. Her face was washed but blood stains were still on her arms. The kimono stopped halfway down the forearm, so the dried blood was exposed. Mulan hadn't noticed it.

Mushu wolf-whistled. "Looking good, babe! I bet Shang will think so too!" Mulan threw her training clothes at him. Mushu leapt out the way and the clothes flopped onto the mirror which was sitting on the dressing table.

"Be quiet!" She grinned at them and pushed her hair back from her forehead. She reached over, pulled a ribbon off of the dressing table and tied her hair up, a few strands falling in front of her face. She brushed them back behind her ears.

"Babes, you might want to wash your arms," Mushu gestured to her blood-stained arm.

"Oh," She disappeared into the bathroom then reappeared a minute later, holding up her arms. "We good now?"

Mushu grinned. "Yeah, we're good,"

"Okay then. Let's go!" Mushu bounded onto her shoulder, holding Cri-Kee by the antennae. Cri-Kee chirped in protest but Mushu ignored him.

Mulan left her room, slamming the door behind her. Fung stuck his head out of his room, which was opposite Mulan's.

"Did you slam that door?" He asked. She grinned.

"Yeah. Come on, I'm staaarving!"

"Coming, coming," Fung strode out his room and Mulan looked him up and down. He was in fresh army clothes and all the blood had been wiped off. _"Do these guys have any other clothes?"_ Mulan thought. She began to giggle. Fung raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Nothing," She beamed back at him, her face glowing.

"Okay then...Off we go!" Fung started walking off down the corridor, Mulan jogged after him to catch up with him.

::::

Mulan picked up a piece of rice and squished it between her chopsticks. She couldn't help but smile at it. She was brought back to her sense when a piece of rice landed on her nose. Flicking it off, she looked over at Ling, who was grinning.

"What was that?" She asked, her own smile growing.

"You looked like you needed a shock to bring you back," Ling explained. Fung wrinkled his forehead at this. Mulan giggled into her rice.

Meanwhile, Chien-Po was happily eating his fourth bowl of rice. Mulan hadn't even finished her first and Ling and Fung were on their second. Shang was also on his first; he hadn't said or eaten much all dinner. Both Fung and Mulan were worried about him, but decided to keep it to themselves.

"Is Yao better?" Mulan asked Ling, who shrugged back, his cheeks bulging with rice. Mulan giggled again.

"He's recovering," Chien-Po put in. "That reminds me, the doctor wants me to tell you all that he wants to see all of you, for your injuries,"

"I haven't got any injuries," Mulan protested. Fung prodded her upper arm, near her shoulder. She winced.

"You say you haven't got any injuries?" Fung sniggered. Mulan glared at him. "I actually haven't got any," Mulan whacked him on the head.

"You have now," She snapped, her eyes flashing but a smile growing. Fung shook his head and turned back to his rice.

"I don't like doctors," Ling said after a few minutes of silence.

"Why not?" Fung asked, a piece of meat clasped between his chopsticks paused on the way to his mouth.

"I don't know. I mean, these people actually chose a career where they look at blood all the time!" Ling said, shuddering.

"You're a soldier Ling," Fung went on.

"I know. It doesn't mean I enjoy killing, does it? Sure, I'll kill because I have to, but I don't want to. Blood makes me queasy and so does seeing corpses everywhere," He turned to Shang, who was listening intently. "You've killed people. How do you sleep at night?"

"I don't like killing people either," Shang answered. The table fell silent and Ling began to wish he hadn't brought the subject up.

After everything had been eaten, Mulan got up and stretched. "I'm going to go to the doctor now. Might as well get this over with," She glanced around the table. "Anyone coming?"

Chien-Po stood up and brushed a few stray grains of rice from his shirt. "Yeah, I'll come,"

Ling got up too. "Yeah, I guess,"

He, Mulan and Chien-Po left the room at the same time, Chien-Po talking to Mulan and Ling was munching on some egg rolls he had taken from the table.

As soon as they left, Shang turned to Fung. "Tao loves her?!"

"How did I know you were going to bring that up?" Fung said. Shang glared at him.

"This isn't funny! He can't take Mulan from me!"

"Shang, you never had her! Maybe if you had talked to her before she met Tao, things might have turned out differently," Fung said gently. Shang's head drooped forward.

"I know. But...it makes me so mad when I think of it!"

"Think of what?" Fung probed him.

"When I think of how close she is to Tao...and she barely knows him. He was a Hun! How can she...be like that to him?"

"Shang, you don't know if Mulan loves Tao. Go talk to her, it's the only way you're going to get any answers," Fung said. He picked up his chopsticks again and carried on eating, signalling the end of the conversation.

Shang watched his friend eat and felt sad. Then, he got up and strode out the room, determined to find Mulan and tell her everything.

×××

"Ow!" Mulan cried. The doctor had poured some liquid ointment onto his wound, which was now stinging and slightly smoking.

"You have to suffer for beauty, madam," The doctor smiled at Mulan.

"You call healing wounds as beauty?"

"Not really, madam. Just, that not having scars or wounds might be more beautiful than having them," The doctor gave her a large grin, rather like the one Shang had given her in the dungeon. Mulan giggled and pulled her dress sleeve back on. Then, she hopped off the bed and went into the doctor's waiting room. The Gang, minus Fung and Yao, looked up.

"I'm all right. He just put some liquid ointment on it. God, it stings," Mulan rubbed her shoulder to empathize her point.

Ling grinned. "I wouldn't let that bother you a lot. I've had to have tea, ointment and blood-loss before the guy could bandage up my leg. Now, that hurt. Stop whining Mulan," He sniggered. Mulan grinned and sat down next to him.

"I know. It doesn't hurt that bad," The couch rose slightly as Chien-Po got off it. Ling glanced at Mulan and they both grinned. Chien-Po went into the doctor's room, closing the door tightly behind him.

::::

"_Tell Mulan everything. That's all we've got to do, Shang. Just tell her everything. That's not too difficult is it?" _Shang paused outside the Doctors Suite of Rooms._ "'...Look! Of course I feel things for her! She's a friend, and all, if any, affection I feel for her is a friend...'. My god! Why did I ever say that? At least, it's thrown her off track. She shouldn't think I feel anything for her now...well after that. Damn you Fung, you just had to make me freak out and yell! Come on Shang, it's not Fung's fault,"_

Gathering up his courage, Shang pushed the doctor's door open.

Mulan was sitting on the couch next to Ling, tears glistening in her eyes, but they had not fallen. Ling was white-faced and a few tears had escaped his brimming-over eyes. Chien-Po was sitting opposite them, silent and grey. The doctor was nowhere to be seen.

"Guys? What's happened?" Shang asked, shutting the door behind them. He sat down on the couch, next to Mulan. "Guys?" He repeated.

"I'm going to die," Chien-Po replied. Shang's mouth fell open.

"What?!"

"I've got something in my head. It's been giving me all these headaches, but I always figured that it was just stress. The doctor said he's never seen anything like it before and he doesn't know how to treat it. He said the only thing he could do is...well kill me before it does because soon the pain will be unbearable,"

The whole world collapsed on Shang. He felt the weight of the sky fall onto his shoulders, then the ground opened up and swallowed him whole. The vastness of his problem left Shang speechless and white.

Just hearing the news again made a few tears drip from both Mulan and Ling's eyes. Shang noticed them and pulled Mulan into a hug. She didn't cling back to him but just rested her head on his chest and allowed a few more tears to drip down her cheeks.

Ling looked sadly on and frowned. "I have no one to hug..." He said quietly. Chien-Po heard him and pulled Ling into a big bear-hug.

"What are you doing to do?" Mulan asked from inside Shang's arms.

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't really want to think about it now," Chien-Po said.

Suddenly, the door flung open and a breathless and very excited Fung burst in.

"Hey guys! We got some visitors! Well, the Emperor's son arrived and-!" He looked around at everyone's sombre faces. "What's going on?"

As briefly as he could, Shang explained about Chien-Po as Chien-Po didn't want to explain again. Fung sank down onto the couch next to Shang, his face slowly went pale.

"Oh my god. I-I had no idea. Oh my god," Fung kept repeating 'Oh my god' until Shang slapped him.

Silence.

"Guys...I don't mean to like...interrupt? But, the Emperor said we have to go," Fung repeated.

"Right," Mulan said, her voice trembling slightly. She pulled herself out of Shang's grip and stood up, smoothing down her skirt. Shang got up after her, then did Ling, Fung and Chien-Po. They watched him worriedly.

"Guys...I really don't want to be reminded of anything now. Please, can we just go on with our normal lives? I really don't want to talk or think about it," Chien-Po pleaded.

"Yeah, that's fine. Whatever you want and remember we're all here for you," Mulan smiled at him.

"Yeah," Everyone echoed. Chien-Po grinned.

"Thanks guys,"

::::

"There you are!" The Emperor greeted them cheerily in the throne room. Standing next to him was a man who looked similar to Tao, expect slightly smaller and a little bit chubbier. Next to him was a small boy, about six years old. He had a smile on his face and he had the air of mischief around him. Mulan couldn't help but like him as soon as she saw him. "This is Ming Hua, my youngest son and Tao's brother. His son is Tiao Zao, Tao's nephew and my grandson. They were staying far away from here with Ming Hua's late-wife's brother when they heard of the Hun invasion and of the arrival of Tao. They only just arrived here,"

Ming Hua stepped forward and bowed to them all. "May I ask for your names?"

Shang moved forward, in a very General-like manner. "I am General Li Shang,"

Ming Hua nodded. "I heard about your father. I am very sorry to hear of his death," Shang nodded, grief filling his head again. He shook it clear and gestured to Fung.

"This is Loon Fung, he is my Commander and is directly below me. He is also my best friend from my childhood," Ming Hua nodded at Fung, who replied with a curt nod. Shang went on, "This is Captain Ling, Captain Chien-Po and this is Fa Mulan,"

Ming Hua's eyes lit up. "You're Mulan?"

Mulan nodded. "Yup,"

"Do you know where Tao is?" His eagerness made him sound like a little child.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know. He left about an hour or so ago when Lao Ren and Kai Bo had been captured. He just walked away from where I was standing,"

Ming Hua's face crumpled. "I've longed to see my brother every day ever since he was taken. I thought when I heard he was back here, this was it, I was going to see him again. Now, he's gone again..." Ming Hua looked sadly at Mulan, who gave him a sad smile back.

A tugging at her skirt made her look down. "Hi! Are you the woman warrior?" Mulan grinned at the little boy. She bent down and picked him up, as he wasn't too heavy.

"Yes, I am. I do have a name though. It's Mulan. What's yours again?" She tickled the little boy under the chin. He squirmed and giggled. Ming Hua grinned, his sorrow for Tao, forgotten for a while. Shang couldn't help smiling either.

"_She'd make a great mother..."_ Shang thought as Mulan began to laugh with the little boy.

"Stop it! Stop it!" The little boy kicked her in the stomach. It didn't hurt much so Mulan left it. "I'm Tiao Zao,"

"Flea? You're name means 'flea'?" Mulan giggled. Tiao Zao giggled too.

"Yes, it does. Baba says it's similar to Tao, my uncle," Tiao Zao smiled at Mulan. Mulan looked over at Ming Hua, who smiled back.

"You poor flea. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She asked him.

Tiao Zao shook his head. "Nope. I think that's a good thing. I don't like having to share my stuff with people,"

Mulan flicked his forehead. "Sharing is a good thing. I'm an only child too, so technically I don't have to either. It's good, isn't it?" Mulan grinned mischievously at him. He began to laugh as Mulan put him down on the ground. He looked around and walked over to Fung.

"Are you a warrior?" He asked.

"_Aaw...kids are so innocent...not to mention stupid. I'm wearing armour and carrying a sword! Kid, open your eyes!"_ Fung thought. He grinned at the little boy and knelt down until he was his height. "Yes, look at this," Fung drew his sword and offered the hilt to Tiao Zao, who took it, walked away from Fung and began waving it around.

"Tiao Zao, be careful!" Ming Hua called. Ignoring him, Tiao Zao carried on waving it, before it slipped and cut him on the arm. He let out a wail and dropped the sword. Everyone ran forward. Mulan looked at the cut on his arm and smiled.

"It's not that deep Little Flea," She tugged the ribbon in her hair out, letting her shiny black hair swing forward. Shang felt the breath catch in his throat. Mulan bandaged up the cut and showed it to Tiao Zao. "See? It's going to get better now. Maybe you should go to the doctor, who'll clean it with the appropriate stuff," Mulan stood up and smiled at him.

Tiao Zao grinned at Mulan and flung his arms around her. He was small for his age, like Mulan, and his arms only reached above her legs. She gave him a little hug and rubbed his back. Ming Hua went forward and prised Tiao Zao off Mulan.

"I told you to be careful, didn't I? Let's go find the doctor," Ming Hua took Tiao Zao's hand and dragged him out the room, Tiao Zao protesting the entire way. Mulan grinned.

"Where's his mother?" Fung asked the Emperor.

"She died in childbirth with him. I don't think Tiao Zao really minds. He's always admired his father more than anyone. I don't think he even knows Tao exists, except as His Uncle," The Emperor turned to Mulan. "He's going to hang around you a lot now, Mulan. He does that, he gets attached to someone then won't leave them alone,"

Mulan grinned. "That's okay. He's sweet,"

Fung sniggered. "He's cool. He's also rather silly, waving a sword around. He should have realised that it would cut him," Fung bent down and picked up his sword and put it back into his sheath.

"Don't be mean!" Ling said. "Poor kid,"

"Enough about Tiao Zao. I have information for you all," They all looked at him. "The executions of Lao Ren and Kai Bo are to happen tomorrow morning at ten 'o' clock sharp. I have also arranged a large banquet for all of you and several of my friends, officers and your families are all invited,"

"Yeah!" Ling grinned. "Think of all the pretty ladies!" Fung slapped him. "Ow!"

"Yes, Captain Ling, there will be women there. A ball will be held after dinner, you know dancing and all that stuff. This should take place probably late at night," The Emperor gave them a grin, showing perfectly straight white teeth.

"_Okay, seeing as I couldn't tell her my feelings today, I'll tell her them tomorrow. That makes more sense anyway; I've got to work on what I'm going to say. Fung will give me a hand," _Shang thought. He looked at Mulan, who was talking to Ling._ "She would make a great mother. She's the only person I want as a wife and a mother for my children,"_

_A/N: DONE!! Thank god! I spent ages typing this, as I got stuck halfway. Well, please leave a review!! :D :D :D :D_


	9. Executions, Advice and News

**Disclaimer:** _I own the usual people like Ming Hua, Tiao Zao and some new people who are going to turn up soon._

**CHAPTER NINE – Executions, Advice and News**

_A/N: Big thank you to jla2snoopy and alibi girl for their reviews!_

_I'm trying to fade Tao out of it for a while and bring Shang into it more now because Tao's had a lot of the limelight lately and I want Shang to have a bit as well. Heh heh. So thank you to Angel452 for her suggestion!_

_A Cute But Psycho Bunny....you left a fairly long review! Yeah, I'm trying to make Tiao Zao into a little cute boy that everybody loves and I really think 'flea' is a good name for him! I'm definitely going to have Shang tell Mulan soon but the pendant is sort of centre to the whole story so I can't really get rid of it, but it's fading out of the 'limelight' with Tao. Thank you for your review anyway!!_

_Also, a big thank you to lobs-stacey-ters for her review! I changed that end bit when Shang was thinking. Basically he meant that he didn't want anyone else but Mulan to be his wife and mother to their kids...blah blah. I think you get that anyway, but I'll write anyhow. I'm also going to include a detailed part of the executions because I like the whole blood bit...heh heh._

_So please leave a review at the end and now I have to stop rambling and actually get typing the story...:D_

"Shui Jing? Are you awake?" A voice called out to her. The girl turned around, her black hair shining in the bright morning light. Her dark eyes shone out and her pink lips were curved into a graceful smile. Her white complexion made her look living a living corpse, according to her mother.

"Yes, Mama! What do you need?" Shui Jing left the sanctuary of her room and looked out into the hallway.

"Can you go and pick up Ju Hua? She spent the night at Yong Yuan's house and I need you to pick her up while I start breakfast," Her mother called back.

"Okay, sure. When's Baba getting back?" Shui Jing called back, pulling a warmer coat over her dress.

"Tomorrow!" Her mother replied. "Can you go and get Ju Hua now? You know how she worries when people are late,"

Shui Jing left her room and padded down the corridor, pausing briefly to sniff the smell of cooking rice. She loved her house, her family, her friends and her life. She had spent all of her eighteen years in the Cun Zhuang Village _(A/N: I know 'Cun Zhuang' means village in Chinese, but I couldn't think of anything else!) _as the daughter of a wealthy man who had a high position in the Emperor's court. Shui Jing's father was part of the Emperor's council but had to deal with the less important problems in China. This job meant that her father was away for most of the year and was only able to come back home to visit on certain weekends and holidays. They had considered moving to another house nearer the Imperial City, but Shui Jing and her sister, Ju Hua _(A/N: 'Ju Hua means chrysanthemum)_, refused, claiming that they had no wish to leave the house that they were born and brought up in.

Shui Jing left the house and plodded up the path to the snow-covered lane that led to the town. The Cun Zhuang Village was near the Burned Village, as the Burned Village was in the Tung Shao Pass and Cun Zhuang was on the outskirts of the Imperial City end. The Burned Out Village was much larger than Cun Zhuang, nearly two times bigger. Only a few families lived in Cun Zhuang compared to around fifty or so that were living in the Burned Out Village. Most of the burnt wood had cleared up by villagers from Cun Zhuang or volunteers from Chang'an _(A/N: That's how you spell it right? And that's the right word, yeah?). _

Shui Jing continued down the lane, pausing now and again to wave to people she knew from different houses. It took her ten minutes to get out of the town then she had to walk to a remote house that was far away from the rest of the town.

"_Trust Yong Yuan to live out here. Well, her and her silly family," _Shui Jing cursed under her breath. She trudged along, her feet starting to go cold. _"I wish I had put on my boots instead of these shoes,"_ Shui Jing scowled again, kicking the snow out of her path.

As she walked, the smell of fire began to waft over to her. Puzzled, Shui Jing paused and looked around. She could not see anything except the faint silhouettes of her village behind her, a load of white and the weak outline of Yong Yuan's house in front of her, an orange flag waving in the wind.

"That's weird. Why does she have a flag on her roof?" Shui Jing thought. As she came closer, the smell of burning became more intense and as she rounded a snow mound, she was greeted with the sight of a house covered in flames. They shot up two or three metres into the sky and the crackling of the flames was so loud, Shui Jing couldn't think of how she hadn't noticed it before. Smoke billowed out of the broken windows, broken doors and the partially-fallen-off roof.

"Ju Hua!!" Shui Jing yelled, running forward, snow flying from out under her feet. She couldn't go in because of the flames, but she kept yelling. "Ju Hua! Yong Yuan! JU HUA!!" Her yells became frantic and tears were now starting to pour down her face. "MEI MEI!!" She called out again. When no one answered her, she ran around the back, pushed the ash-covered back door open and ran inside.

"MEI MEI!!" She carried on yelling. Shui Jing looked around and then screamed when a burning rafter fell in front of her, creating a wall of flames around her. She shrieked again as she saw she was trapped. Acting on impulse, she dived over the flames in front of her, batting at her dress to put it out. As more rafters, lamps and furniture fell or caught fire, Shui Jing ran through the burning house, marvelling at her stupidity. _"Why the hell did I come in here? I must be bloody stupid, going into a burning building!" _She cursed inside. Seeing a door leading to the outside, Shui Jing threw it open and pelted out of it, ignoring what was under her feet.

When she finally got out, her throat was hoarse from calling for Ju Hua and her dress was blackened at the end. Her hair was sticking up and out, her hands were black and her cheeks were moist from tears. As she watched the flames rise higher, she noticed a heap of something at the foot of the door she had just ran out of. She walked cautiously closer, the heat from the flames burning her cheeks.

Two bodies lay there, on top of each other. Both were of young girls, one smaller than the other. Their faces were distorted, their mouths open in terror. Their hair was burnt off, their faces and exposed bodies covered in ash. Their clothes were partially burnt, burns on the arms, legs and faces.

Shui Jing's mouth fell open and her eyes began to water furiously. Ignoring the fire, she bent down and looked at the remains of her sister.

"Oh my god...Ju Hua! Why did this happen to you?" She stroked whatever was left of her five-year-old sister's hair. "You don't deserve to die. No one should die at such a young age," Shui Jing paused and wiped the tears that were falling rapidly down her cheeks and nose. "You were so full of life...how could it all be taken away so quickly?" She gathered the body of her sister and held it close to her, not caring that her sister's right arm and left leg were lying on the ground where she had picked her up from. She rubbed her sister's back and then laid her back on the ground.

"Goodbye..." She whispered then stood up and ran like hell away from the house, not looking back once. As she sped along the snow, she was blinded by tears that were continuously falling. Her sleeves and hands were sopping wet as well.

Just as she got to her village, she heard screams and a familiar sound of flicking flames. The whole village was on fire and she could hear swords, arrows and screams. Black forms were attacking the village, killing whoever was in their way. Men, women, children...none were spared. Shui Jing stared as the destruction of her village...her life took place, her whole world fell down, burying her deep in the ground.

Absolutely terrified, Shui Jing turned and fled. She didn't care where she was running...all she wanted to get away from everything, run away from everything, to run away from herself. Tears and screams came out of her, anything to let the anger, sadness and frustration out. Then, she tripped, fell and blacked out.

::::

"ARRRRGH!" Mulan woke up, sweating and crying.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Five sets of doors flew open, exposing their sleepy owners: Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, Fung and Shang. They woke up as soon as they heard Mulan scream.

They all ran to Mulan's door, pushed it open and found Mulan sitting up in her bed, drenched in sweat. Mushu was standing on her beside table looking freaked out. Cri-Kee sat next to him, his expression exactly the same as Mushu's.

As the Gang and Shang burst into her room, Mulan looked up at them. They were in their nightclothes, which, had it been a different situation, would have been quite funny. Yao, Ling, Chien-Po and Fung were in a grey outfit similar to the training tunic. Shang was wearing just a pair of baggy trousers, he did not seem to care that he was shirt-less. _(A/N: Yeah, I stole that outfit from the film, but it seemed like a good pyjama outfit!)._

"Are you all right?" Five voices asked simultaneously.

Frozen, Mulan could only nod. _"That was one scary nightmare...dreaming of Huns...corpses of my parents...my friends..." _Mulan thought, shuddering at the mental image.

Yao disappeared into the bathroom to get a sponge or towel for her while the rest of the Gang clustered around her bed on chairs and couches. None of them found it inappropriate to be in a woman's room after lights out, unless they were married.

"Mulan? Did you have a nightmare?" Fung asked her softly.

"Yeah..." Mulan's voice came out croaky. She coughed. "Urgh...I don't feel great. Could someone get me some water?" She wiped her face on the towel Yao gave her and coughed again.

"Sure," Ling said, getting up. He took the glass pitcher from Mulan's table and poured some into a glass for her. Smiling, she took it and sipped it gently, the glass knocking on her front teeth. The coldness gave her a bit more strength and helped to clear her mind.

"What was it about?" Shang asked her, his voice sympathetic. Mulan turned to look at him and couldn't help giggling at his bare chest. "What?" He asked again, his sympathetic tone gone, now replaced with a confused one.

Fung instantly realised what she was laughing at. "Uh...Shang?" He coughed and gestured to his bare torso.

"Huh?" Shang said, still not getting it. "Oh..." He turned bright red. Mulan turned away, giggles escaping from her lips. Ling chucked Shang a dark blue robe _(A/N: Kind of like a dressing gown but made of a silky, floaty material)_ of Mulan's, which Shang hurriedly put on.

"Yeah...so Mulan? What was your nightmare about?" Fung asked. Mulan looked up from her glass, her eyes going sombre again.

"I saw...a lot of corpses on the ground. I was walking through them, recognizing everybody...they were all my relatives or my friends. Then, a big figure came out from behind me and drove his sword into my heart...and then I woke up," Mulan looked into her glass again, at her reflection. Her face was slowly turning from white to pale peach. "It scared the crap out of me...though it doesn't seem very bad now," She looked at the Gang and Shang.

"No...we understand if it creeped you out," Yao said.

"It all seemed so real," Mulan said, taking another sip of water. It was starting to get cold again.

"Are you going to be all right?" Shang asked her. She didn't look at him; she knew all too well that if she did, she would collapse into giggles again.

"I'll be fine," She swirled the contents of the glass, watching the reflection distort and rock.

"You sure?" Ling went on.

Mulan looked up and smiled. "I'll be fine,"

"Just don't scare us again like that, babe," Mushu put in.

"I won't,"

Yao stood up. "Well, as long as you're okay," He yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm off. Just yell if you need anything Mulan,"

Mulan grinned. She watched as the others bid her goodnight and left the room. Shang went last, pulling off the robe, folding it neatly and then laying it on the table. He looked over at her and blushed when she gave him a smile.

"You're not laughing," He remarked.

"It's not funny anymore," She said, her face serious. Then, she began to laugh again. "I'm sorry, I couldn't pull that off," She grinned.

Shang smiled back. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me, I am strong you know," Mulan answered.

"I know you are...but it's not really my fault if I do, do I?" Shang replied, his eyes solemn. Mulan grinned, her pearly teeth shining.

"That's sweet. Well, you better go back to bed now; otherwise some people are going to get the wrong idea of us in the same room together,"

Shang nodded. "I guess...well...good night," He gave her a charming smile and Mulan replied with one of her own. Shang left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He strolled back down to his room, opened the door and found the Gang waiting there.

"Argh!!" Shang cried, his hand over his heart. "What the hell are you doing here? Cor, you scared the living daylights out of me!"

"We just wanted to see how you and Mulan were doing," Yao asked, sitting down on Shang's chair. Ling followed suit, flopping onto the couch next to Fung. Chien-Po was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"What do you mean?" Shang replied, walking over and sitting on the bed. "Nothing happened. I just asked to see if she was going to be all right," He smoothed his covers absentmindedly.

"That all?" Ling asked, his eyebrows raised and he spoke in a bored tone. "No, dumbass. How are you and Mulan doing, you know at the whole luuuurve thing,"

"Nothing. I mean...yeah nothing,"

"Huh?"

"Come on, you heard that Tao loves her. She probably doesn't like me...you know in that way,"

"Stop being so negative," Ling said scornfully. "How are you going to know something like that? You don't know how a woman's mind works,"

"And you do?" Shang sniggered. Ling scowled at him. Chien-Po sighed.

"Shang, maybe you should just talk to her," Chien-Po suggested. Fung threw his hands up.

"Isn't that just what I said earlier?" He snapped.

"I know! I know!" Shang snapped back. "I'm going to do it tomorrow, at the big banquet thing. I figured it would be more..." He paused.

"Romantic?" Fung suggested.

"Appropriate?" Chien-Po added.

"Give you time to figure out what to wear?" Ling sniggered.

"Give you time to figure out what to say?" Yao chortled.

"Yeah..." Shang frowned. "What am I going to say?"

"Okay, let's start with something simple. Okay, how about, 'Mulan, I love you,'" Ling suggested. Shang started blankly at him.

"....What?"

"Say, 'Mulan, I love you',"

"...I don't believe you! She's either going to think I'm joking or I'm taking the piss!" Shang snapped. "Why did I ask you guys for help?"

"Hey!" Fung protested. "We can give you advice!" He paused and looked around. "Well, Chien-Po and I can anyway,"

"Shang, maybe you should start with a compliment," Chien-Po put forward.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Shang grinned. "But...wouldn't I sound a bit conceited if I start by saying, 'I look good,'?"

"Bloody hell..." Fung sighed. His head collapsed forward and the new respect for Shang that had been building in Chien-Po, died down instantly. Ling's eyes widened and Yao burst out laughing.

"Not about you!" Fung cried. "Oh my god...you're ever worse at romantic stuff than Ling!"

"Hey!" Ling snapped, insulted. Ignoring Ling, Fung got up and starting pacing around the room, letting his anger out on the floor.

"Shang, listen!" Chien-Po said, with a patient air. "You're trying to tell Mulan how you're feeling. So, you compliment her,"

"Yeah, don't compliment yourself!" Fung said, stopping his pacing and grinning at Shang, his anger gone.

"Okay, so...shall I say, 'You look beautiful tonight.'?" Shang asked. Chien-Po nodded.

"That's the sort of thing. Then, ask her how she's feeling," Ling suggested.

"Huh?" Shang's eyebrows cocked. "Huh?" He repeated.

"I'll demonstrate," Ling got up. "I'll be Mulan and...Fung, you be Shang," Fung nodded and stood opposite Ling. "Let's say...Mulan's standing alone on a...balcony or somewhere. Shang, you'll watch her from behind and decide to go talk to her. Okay?" Shang nodded.

"Okay, here goes..." Fung coughed and cleared his throat. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure," Ling answered. He fluttered his eyelashes at Fung, who looked stricken.

"You look beautiful tonight, Mulan," Fung said, grinning at Ling.

"Oh...thank you," Ling squirmed and smiled sweetly at Fung. Fung pulled a face.

"So...how are you?"

"I'm all right. Just a bit full after dinner," Ling said.

"What?" Shang interrupted. "Why would she say that?"

"Come on Shang! I'm not saying she's going to say that, but you know her! When she gets uncomfortable, she'll say anything that pops into her head!" Yao said. "Okay, we done with that now? Come on Fung!" He turned his attention back to Fung and Ling.

"Okay..." Fung paused. "Uh...Mulan?"

"Yes?"

"I need to talk to you about something,"

"Okay, sure,"

"Um...well...recently...I've started...um..."

"What's with all the 'um's?" Shang butted in.

"Shang, have you heard yourself talk about this sort of stuff? You'll be like 'um...er...I mean...yeah...'. It drives me crazy sometimes, having to listen to it. Everyone's like 'Spit it out Shang!'" Yao protested again. "I think Fung's doing a very good impression of you,"

Shang glared at him.

"To be honest, Shang, you're a good General and you can address troops, enemies and the Emperor, but when it comes to talking to someone you feel a lot for, you're an absolute wuss!" Chien-Po carried on.

"I hope you have a point to all this," Shang scowled.

"Carry on Fung," Chien-Po instantly said, turning his concentration back to Fung and Ling.

"Okay..." Fung cleared his throat again. "Mulan...recently...I've had these weird feelings...like in my heart,"

"Heartburn?" Ling suggested. Yao cracked up laughing. Even Chien-Po had to splutter. Shang was not amused.

"What?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood. Okay, let's go again Fung," Ling said.

"No...I mean...I wasn't sure whether it was just friendliness that I was feeling but..."

"What? Shang, what is it?" Ling said, in a high-pitched voice.

"Mulan, I'm falling in love with you," Fung said. He turned to Shang. "Ta-da! Just say all that and you can't go wrong mate," Fung sat down next to Shang and clapped him on the back.

"I'm going to forget it all," Shang nervously bit his fingernails.

"You know the gist of it, just say whatever comes into your mind. Just not 'I look good,' because then she'll think you're vain," Chien-Po advised him.

"I can't do this. I'll freak or chicken out," Shang carried on chewing his nails.

"No you won't. Trust me, after you've told her, you'll feel a lot better. Then, it's out in the open air," Ling said.

"I will?" Shang looked around nervously.

"Well, sleep on it. You've got all day to think of something to say," Fung yawned and stood up, his legs wavering. "Well, this has been good, but I'm tired. Night all," Fung tottered out the room, followed by the rest of the Gang. Shang watched them anxiously.

::::

"Do you have any last words?" The Emperor's clear voice ran out amongst the citizens of Chang'an. The Huns shook their heads.

"I didn't know the Emperor offered last words to people who are about to be executed," Mulan hissed to Ling. Ling shrugged.

"I didn't either. But then, I haven't been to an execution before,"

Mulan nodded.

It was five past ten the following morning. Mulan had fully recovered from her nightmare and was her usual bubbly self. Shang was still nervous inside, but outside he was in 'General Mode'. Straight back, armour on and helmet on, he looked ready to attend some sort of ceremony. The Gang, except Fung, were in their casual wear, which looked like their training outfits, except they were different colours. Ling was in dark blue, Yao in green and Chien-Po was in black. He said it was out of respect for the Huns who were about to be executed. Fung had to be in his armour and Mulan was wearing a simple pale green dress. She wasn't wearing any make-up and the usual red blush on her cheeks had faded.

The executions were to be performed on a large platform in the middle of the Plaza. _(A/N: Think of the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, when Jack's about to be hanged)_ The Emperor was in black and, like Chien-Po; he said it was out of respect for the Huns. The whole of Chang'an was clustered into the Plaza, every bit of space filled by a man, woman or child. Mulan was surprised that children were here, but decided not to say anything.

The Gang, Shang, Mulan, the Emperor, Ming Hua, Tiao Zao and all the other guards and officials in the Palace were standing on the other side of guillotine. Mulan wished she wasn't so near the actual killing, but she could do nothing about that.

The executions were to be in the form of a blade suspended in mid air above the victim's neck. As soon as the executioners released the rope holding the blade, it plummeted down onto the victims, parting the body and the head. _(A/N: This is just like a guillotine, but they did actually behead people in China. I think it was just with an axe, but I changed it because this way sounds much cooler) _

The breeze swept through the Plaza, making everyone shudder. Lao Ren, Kai Bo and about ten other Huns were lined up at one end of the guillotine, their faces pale, except Lao Ren's. Even Kai Bo looked freaked out. Mulan couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

The ten Huns were to be killed normally, without the guillotine. This just meant that they were blindfolded then a Hun that was selected randomly from the line was to swing an axe into his back, breaking his spine and killing him. _(A/N: This is not a real Chinese way of execution, I just thought of it) _

The first Hun came forward, his wrists and arms bounded by ropes. Mulan felt sick as she watched him walk bravely forward. She wanted to hate them, to laugh at them when they died for all the cruel things that they had done, but she couldn't find it in her heart to jeer at them. She could feel the worry rising inside her. It made her hands tingle and her head and heart started to pound.

"_God knows what they're feeling, if I'm freaking out and I'm not even going to be executed," Mulan_ though to herself. She began twisting her hair with her fingers to keep her occupied. She stared at the ground and squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the quiet swish of the axe, the thud, the scream of pain and the cheer from the crowd. Mulan could feel her heart hammering, she wished it could all be over.

This was repeated another nine times, each time Mulan felt more and more sick. When she finally looked up, she could see nine bodies heaped on top of each other. They were oozing blood out of them, litres and litres of the blood was sliding across the platform, dripping off the sides and onto the Plaza floor. Mulan turned away from the sight and looked at her friends.

The Emperor was watching the executions, his face expressionless. The Gang, except Fung, were staring at the ground. Mulan could see Ling's pale face while Yao and Chien-Po were clasping their lips together, both of them wringing their hands. Shang and Fung were watching the executions, their heads held high, but Mulan knew it was only to save their appearance. Shang looked sad and tired while Fung was disgusted. Tiao Zao was clinging to Ming Hua's leg, sobbing his little heart out. Ming Hua looked exactly like the Emperor. The rest of the guards and officials were blank as well.

Feeling her heart go out to the little boy, Mulan left her place between Ling and Fung and went to Tiao Zao's side, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She bent her back till she was eye-level with him.

"Little Flea? Are you okay?" Mulan asked. Sobbing, Tiao Zao let go of Ming Hua and threw his arms around Mulan. She bent to her knees and hugged the little boy, her face white and her eyes full of unshed tears, all the time keeping a flow of comforting words in the little boy's ear. His sobbing still carried on, but it was growing quieter and quieter all the time.

"Little Flea, when you become Emperor, you're going to have to watch all of the executions and you'll have to be strong. Can you do that? Can you be strong for me? Can you be strong for your dad and for your grandfather?"

Tiao Zao nodded, wiping his streaming eyes. Mulan kissed him on the head and staggered back to her place. Shang watched her as she walked back and moved past Ling till he was standing next to her. She did not seem to notice.

Kai Bo was dragged forward first. He was forced onto his knees, his neck placed on a blood-stained block. The executioner laid a finger on his neck, measuring the distance and place of where the blade was to hit.

"What's he doing?" Mulan hissed to Fung.

"The executioner has to know where the weak spot is in the neck. You know, the one place where you cut, it'll kill you. It's different on everyone, so he has to rearrange the blade so it's in the right position," Fung whispered back. His eyes were averted to the floor as the executioner began lining up the blade.

Mulan suddenly felt a hand curl around her own. Looking up, she saw Shang standing next to her, staring straight ahead. She gripped his hand with her own, her fingers entwining in his.

The executioner slowly released the rope and the blade fell. It barely took a second to fall, but it seemed like en eternity to Mulan. She watched as the silver blade shone in the morning light and as it dropped to its victim. The blade finally met the victim's neck and went straight through it. Blood spurted out, in all directions. Horrified, Mulan whipped her head away from the sight, squeezing Shang's hand so hard her fingertips went white. Shang hardly noticed it, his own head spinning. The blood continued to pour out of Kai Bo's neck, his head lolling off. His whole body slumped forward, the life gone. His head rolled onto the platform, the eyes open and staring.

Mulan could feel tears brimming in her eyes and she hurriedly brushed them away with her free hand. The other was still being gripped by Shang. Looking up, Ling was completely white, Chien-Po's arm around his shoulders. Yao's head was bent forward so she couldn't see his reaction. Chien-Po looked like he had just been sick; his face had a green tinge to it. Fung was a normal color but his eyes were glassy and wide. His cheeks looked flushed as well. Ming Hua had a faint white tinge to his cheeks and Tiao Zao was clasping his dad's leg again, his sobs echoing around the Plaza. The Emperor hadn't moved or changed his expression. He looked just as blank as he had done a minute ago.

Most of the Chang'an citizens were cheering, some of them were crying and others were feeling sick.

Lao Ren was pulled forward. He went through the same procedure as Kai Bo, though he couldn't help but shudder when he was forced onto the block, which was covered in Kai Bo's blood. Mulan turned away as the executioner lined up his neck and moved the blade. The blade's edge was stained in red, some dripping while some had already dried. Mulan felt sick.

As the blade fell the second time, Lao Ren moved and the blade hit another part of his neck, not killing him but almost parting his head and neck. He let out a howl that was so loud everyone heard it, from the executioner who was standing next to him, to the furthest person at the Plaza Gates.

Mulan gave a horrified gasp as well; her hand gripped Shang's in an iron-strong grip. A few tears leaked out of her eyes and before she could wipe them away, Shang's free hand had done so. She looked up at him. His face was white and he was grimacing. He looked down at her and gave her a sad smile. Mulan couldn't smile back, her face spelled sadness.

Lao Ren was yelling, twisting and writhing in the pain, so much that the executioner couldn't get him to stay still to bring the blade down on his neck again. Knowing he had to kill him quickly, the executioner picked up an axe and swung it down on Lao Ren's partially-severed neck, putting an end to his pain and his life.

The whole crowd fell silent as his head rolled off, blood flowing steadily out of it. His body also slouched forward, blood pouring out of the two cuts in the neck.

The Emperor walked forward and began to say a speech to the crowd. Mulan couldn't hear him, the sound of the outside world had been blocked out and all she could hear was the fast beating of her own heart. She couldn't even feel Shang's hand around hers anymore. She closed her eyes and silently said a prayer for all of the Huns who had died. She knew that they were murderers themselves, but did that mean that they had to act the same way? She twisted her hair with her fingers, the harsh taste swirling around her mouth.

"_I feel like a lemon," _Mulan thought._ "I feel yellow, squeezed and sour!"_

::::

"I don't want to go to this banquet. I'm not in the mood," Mulan said to Mushu. Mushu and Cri-Kee were in Mulan's collar during the executions as Cri-Kee didn't want to see it and Mushu didn't either. From Mulan's descriptions, he was glad he had chosen to hide.

"Babes, you have to. It's the Emperor's orders," Mushu reasoned with her. "You can't stay in here all day,"

Ever since the execution, Mulan had excused herself and had spent the rest of the day in her room. She felt too sick to come out but she knew that the sick feelings would pass in time.

"They didn't deserve to die," She repeated for the hundredth time.

"Come on babe. They killed many people and never felt a bit of guilt," Mushu said.

"I know," She sighed and lay back on her bed. "I feel sorry for them,"

"Don't worry about it for now. At the moment, we have more important matters. Now," Mushu hopped off her bedside table and flung the wardrobe doors open. "What are you going to wear for this banquet? It's got to be something pretty, because you're going to want to impress Shang and everybody else,"

"Mushu, knock it off," Mulan sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I'm tired,"

"Babes, you've slept for about four hours. How can you be tired?" Mushu asked. Without waiting for an answer, he went on. "I think you should wear this red one. It's more suitable for a celebration,"

"I don't feel like celebrating,"

"Babes, you're going to have to get over it. Otherwise, you're sad face is going to make everyone else sad. Now, smile and choose a dress," Mushu grinned.

Mulan smiled back. "You're right. I got to be happy," She giggled. "Okay, dress time," She walked over and looked at the dresses, her smile drooping. "I don't know,"

"Red? Blue? Pink?" Mushu suggested, pulling each dress out by their skirts.

"Purple?" Mulan pulled the dress out. It was pale purple with a pattern of pale pink on the collar, hem and around the sleeve-ends. Around the waist, was a line of pink jewels with a matching pair of little purple shoes.

"Purple?" Mushu pulled a face. "You'll look like a walking plum," Mushu cackled.

Mulan stomped on the little dragon again. "Pack it in!" She snapped, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

::::

"You done?" Mushu said as Mulan left the bathroom. The dress clung to her slender figure, her little feet showing out the end of it. Mushu wolf-whistled. Mulan glared at him then began to laugh.

"Okay, your hair," Mushu looked at her. "Sit!" He pointed to the dressing table chair, where Mulan sat. "Brush!" Mushu commanded. Mulan gave him the brush. Mushu darted around her head, adding water to smooth it down.

"There! You like?" Mushu grinned. Mulan turned her head from left to right, admiring her hair. Mushu had left most of it down, but had tied some into a top-knot, which he then twisted into a bun and left a few ends sticking out.

"Wow! You're getting better!" Mulan grinned.

"Okay, let's see. Decoration?" Mushu went over to the chest-of-drawers and opened a smaller drawer with accessories in and then took out some purple jewels. He bounded back over to Mulan and added some jewels in the bun, then let some hang from the bun. "Better?"

"That's great," She smiled and turned to her little dragon guardian. "Thanks," She grinned.

"That's better! You're smiling! Okay, now your make-up," Mushu rubbed his chin. "You don't like that white paint, do you?"

Mulan rolled her eyes. "I can do my own make-up," She opened the dressing table drawer and took out all the make-up containers. She brushed blusher onto her cheeks, painted her lips with a pale reddy-pink that gave her a slightly healthier look.

"I thought you hated that cherry-red stuff," Mushu commented.

"That stuff is really thick because it's such a dark red. This isn't because not so much red paint is in it," Mulan said. "I can talk with this stuff on. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to push words out of your mouth with that paint on," Mulan shuddered.

"Yeah, yeah," Mushu's stomach rumbled. Mulan, who was applying some pale purple eye shadow to her eyelids, stopped and looked at the blushing Mushu.

"Was that your stomach?" She giggled.

"What do you expect? I haven't eaten since breakfast! It's all your fault, you know," Mushu prodded Mulan on the shoulder. "If you hadn't chosen to stay in here, moping and moaning for all those dead Huns, I would have eaten something at lunch!" Mushu glared at her, jokingly.

"Don't get me started over those Huns again!" Mulan threatened him.

"Mulan! They're dead now, so let them go! Ever since you got back from the army, you've become more and more girly!"

Mulan threw the brush at him. It hit him in the stomach and sent him toppling off the dressing table. "Don't be mean!" She snapped, though giggling at the same time.

"I twisted something again," Mushu muttered from below her. Scrambling up to her height again, Mushu folded his arms again. He watched Mulan finish her make-up, sniggering. Mulan saw him in the mirror.

"What's up?"

"Do you just want to look nice for the General?" Mushu smirked. Mulan glared at him.

"Hey! All the other girls there are going to be dressed like this. So, not to be out of place, I have to go like this," Mulan said, shoving the make-up containers back into the drawer from which they had come out of.

There was a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" Mulan called.

"You ready?" Fung's voice came through the door.

"Yeah!" She called back. "Are you coming?" She asked Mushu.

"Hello? I haven't eaten all day! Of course I'm coming!" He said, throwing his arms up.

"Okay, okay. Don't rub it in," She picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. Cri-Kee was sitting on the left. "I must look like a walking zoo," She said out loud.

"Don't let us bother you. As soon as you get into the big banquet place, I'm outta here!" Mushu laughed. Mulan couldn't help smiling either. "Just remember to be happy," He added as Mulan opened the bedroom door and found Fung waiting, a frown on his face.

"What?" She asked. Fung's frown disappeared as soon as she saw the bedroom door open.

"Nothing. You just took a long time," He smiled. "Nice dress,"

"Thanks," She smiled. Fung was wearing a new set of gold armor, with his usual red cape. "Don't you military people have any casual clothes?" She asked.

"Not really," Fung said, starting to walk down the corridor with her. "Most of my stuff looks like army clothes, like the training outfit. I have four different types of armor as well,"

"Four? What the hell for?" Mulan said, astonished.

"One for the army, one for celebrations, one for casual and one for funerals and sad occasions," Fung ticked them off his fingers. "Shang has five because he's the General,"

Mulan sniggered. "I can't see Shang washing all of his armor,"

"Yeah, that's the point. He doesn't. He gets other people to do it for him,"

"That's a bit lazy, isn't it?" Mulan pondered.

"Yeah, well. What do you expect? He was the General's son and now he's a General himself. He has plenty of servants running around for him. He was really spoilt as a child,"

"Oh yeah?" Mulan's interest was growing rapidly. Shang had never talked about his childhood, but hopefully, as Fung had known him for years, Mulan hoped to get some more information about him. "How?"

"His mother, Li Jia, would always buy him gifts and insist he had the best of everything. He was quite a chubby little boy when he was about five. His mother made him eat to become strong and to keep him well insulated,"

Mulan cracked up laughing. "'Well insulated'?"

"Yup," Fung started to laugh too. "As a young girl, his mother had always been terrified of the cold so she didn't want Shang to have that 'fear' either. Then, his father stepped in and made Shang do lots of army training and drills. Shang soon lost all of that puppy fat and soon stopped being a 'Mummy's Boy' and became much closer to his father than before. I think Shang's father didn't pay much attention to Shang until he was over five years old, because of Jun Dui,"

"Army? Huh?" Mulan stopped and looked at Fung.

"Jun Dui is Shang's brother, and yeah his name does mean 'Army'. He's about four years older than him and, because he was the eldest, Shang's father had always preferred him over Shang. Then, when Jun Dui got accepted into the Academy, Shang's father turned on to Shang and taught him all the army stuff for another five years, before he went to the academy as well,"

"I didn't know Shang had a brother," Mulan paused. "I don't know a lot about him,"

Fung grinned. "Well, you'll probably know more after you've met his family tonight,"

"Yeah I guess," Mulan started walking on, Fung following.

::::

"I suck at meeting families. I always say something stupid to embarrass myself," Mulan said to Yao.

They were all waiting in the Hall, outside the Ballroom where the banquet was being prepared. All the families and friends of the Gang, Shang and Mulan were scheduled to arrive soon and all the Emperor's council, friends and relatives were coming too, as well as some retired army officers and their families.

The Gang, except Fung, and Mulan were loitering outside the doors of the Ballroom. Lots of couches and chairs had been set up for the visitors but the Gang and Mulan had had strict instructions that they were not to sit down until their relative or friend had. They all though this silly but none of them dared sit down.

The rest of the Gang were also in their 'ceremonial armour'. Unlike Shang and Fung's, theirs was silver and they also had capes. Yao's was too long for him and he was continuously tripping over it.

"I wouldn't let it bother you that much," Yao replied. "You haven't met my family,"

Mulan began to laugh when Chien-Po and Ling came over. "Can't we sit down yet? My legs are aching!" Ling whined.

"I thought you were a soldier," Mulan remarked. Ling stuck his tongue out at her.

"Leave me alone," He complained.

The doors of the Hall were flung open and a large group of people came in. The two guards, who were standing at either side of the door, cleared their throats.

"Introducing the Li family!" Their voices ran out through the hall.

"Mama!" Shang cried, leaving his spot next to Fung, to go and greet his family. Mulan watched as his mother pecked him on each cheek and he swept her into a bear-hug. It was very obvious that Shang and his mother were very close, despite what Fung had told her earlier.

"They seem close," Mulan said to Fung, who had just joined them.

"Yeah, I never said they weren't. Shang never lost that closeness with his mother, even when his father started training him," Both Mulan and Fung watched as Shang's mother took something from her bag and gave it to him. Shang's face lit up. Fung began to laugh.

"What's that?" Mulan asked him.

"It's a honey biscuit. Li Jia used to make loads of them for him when he was child. He was addicted to them, and they made him put on weight," Fung watched as Shang put the biscuit in his mouth and swallowed it whole. "They were really tasty though," He added wistfully. He watched as Shang left his mother's side and began greeting his brother, cousins and other relatives that had come.

Mulan began to giggle. "You sounded so dreamy then,"

"Don't knock them 'till you've tried them,"

"I'm not knocking anything," Mulan replied.

"Fung!" Li Jia came over, a grin lighting up her tired face. "How are you?"

"I'm very well, Madam Li. How about yourself?" Fung replied, bowing slightly. Mulan moved away and started to smile to herself.

"Please, no formalities," Li Jia went on.

"_She sounds like the Emperor,"_ Mulan thought but was distracted when a little hurricane came zooming out of a door and ploughed right into her. "Ooof!"

Looking down, she saw Tiao Zao hugging her. She dropped to her knees and gave the little boy a hug. "Hey, Little Flea. Are you doing better than this morning?"

Tiao Zao gave her a big sparkling grin. She could see Shang, Fung and Li Jia watching her from behind Tiao Zao. "Yeah, I'm better now. Grandpa talked to me and he made me feel a lot better,"

Mulan smiled but was, again, distracted when she heard the two guards announcing another family.

"The Fa family!"

Mulan jumped up and walked hurriedly over to the door, Tiao Zao trailing behind her.

"Grandma!" She cried, giving her a hug. Grandma Fa smoothed Mulan's hair and pinched her cheeks.

"You're looking good, honey. How are you and..." Grandma Fa lowered her voice and Mulan bent forward to hear her. "...Shang doing?"

"Nothing yet, Grandma," Mulan said, flushing.

"Nothing?" Grandma Fa repeated, in disbelief.

"All right, all right. Are Mama and Baba coming?" She asked, looking out the door.

Grandma Fa paused. "Uh...yes,"

Tiao Zao tugged on Mulan's skirt. "Mulan? Who is this lady?"

Mulan grinned. "Grandma, this is Tiao Zao. Tiao Zao, this is my grandmother. Tiao Zao is the Emperor's grandson,"

"Very nice," Grandma smiled at the little boy and ruffled his hair. Tiao Zao giggled. Mulan smiled, then looked up and saw her parents coming in.

"Mama!" She said, going forward and then she froze. "...what?" She stared at the faint bump of Fa Li's stomach.

Tiao Zao appeared at her elbow. "Your mother is a little bit plump," He said. Fung, who had come over, clamped a hand over Tiao Zao's mouth.

"She's not...fat, Tiao Zao. She's pregnant," Fung hissed.

_A/N: I hope that chapter's okay. I really like the execution part and please tell me if you like the ending, what with Fa Li's pregnancy. It was a bit out of the blue, but it all links in. Just tell me if you think it's okay or too...big. Thanks!!_


	10. Attempt One: Failed

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER TEN – Attempt One: Failed**

_A/N: Thank you to Haylin4 for her review!_

_Big thank you to blazzing-mystery for the review and I am going to have a bit about the pregnancy. Yeah, Mulan will have a sibling, so yay! Thanks to oneredneckgoddess for her review and I'm glad you like my execution part. I'm actually kinda proud of it. :D_

_HUGE thanks to my loyal reviewers: Lynn12, Lobs-StAcEy-Ters, sumayyah, narfgirl, Mii-chan1 (I won't accuse you of copying now that you've told me :D), pepeok, A Cute But Psycho Bunny and Angel452._

_Please review this chapter as well. :D Thank you so much!!! _

"Shang!" A tap on Shang's shoulder made him whirl around, from where he was talking with Fung.

"Wei-Xian!" Both Shang and Fung cried. Wei-Xian pulled both of them into a big group hug. Shang started to laugh.

"So, how you doing?" Fung asked him.

"Not bad, actually. I'm married and have two children: one boy and one girl," Wei-Xian smiled. "They're called Qi Ji and Dang Gao,"

Fung sniggered. "Great names...'Miracle' and 'Cake',"

"Yeah, well," Wei-Xian blushed. "My wife had a craving for cake before he was born and Qi Ji was called 'miracle' because...well, she is a miracle in my eyes. She's my own child,"

"Doesn't sound as silly as her father being called 'Danger'," Fung smiled. Wei-Xian glared at him.

Wei-Xian had met best friends Fung and Shang in the Academy. The three of them stayed best friends until they graduated and then left, Shang and Fung going into the army while Wei-Xian stayed behind to be an artist. His excuse was that as his elder brother was in the army so he didn't have to. Fung and Shang had seen pass this lie; Wei-Xian was bad at martial arts and when kicked, would collapse to the ground and start to cry.

He was a dark man, with unruly hair that bounced on his shoulders. He wasn't particularly muscular and his dark eyes sparkled. He had a large nose and thin lips. He wasn't very attractive, in a man way.

"Baba!" A little girl ran up to Wei-Xian and hugged him.

"Qi Ji!" Wei-Xian picked her up and kissed her forehead. "Here, meet some of Daddy's friends. This is Li Shang and this is Loon Fung,"

"Hello Li Shang. Hello Loon Fung," She gave them a sparkly grin, showing her uneven teeth. Fung felt Shang recoil slightly next to him. He elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hello Qi Ji," They both said back, forcing smiles.

"Wei-Xian, there you are!" A soft voice came from behind them. They all looked and saw a woman standing there, holding a little boy. She was wearing a red robe with gold decoration. Her face was completely white, framed with long locks of ebony hair. However, the make-up on her face couldn't hide her identity.

"May-Lynn!" Both Fung and Shang gasped.

"Do I know you?" She asked, a puzzled look coming over her, causing her to raise her carefully plucked eyebrows.

"Yeah, we're Loon Fung and Li Shang," Fung said, with a slight bow. "We went to your school,"

"..." May-Lynn looked at them, then she began to smile. "Oh yes! I remember you now! You were the slightly fat boy, who was always eating biscuits!" She said to Shang. Shang blushed and mumbled something unintelligible. Scowling, he turned and walked off to the Gang of Three. "What did I say?" May-Lynn said, worried.

"I wouldn't let it bother you," Fung said, watching Shang's back. "He's a little bit ashamed of his biscuit-addiction now," Fung started to grin. "I didn't know you married Wei-Xian. When was the wedding?"

"Quite a few years ago," May-Lynn smiled. She turned to Wei-Xian. "I'm just going to wander around for a bit,"

Wei-Xian nodded and pecked her on the cheek. "Okay, sweetheart. I'll see you at dinner," She nodded and then walked off.

"How come I wasn't invited to your wedding?" Fung asked, pretending to be insulted.

"I did invite you, but you never replied. Shang didn't either," Wei-Xian sighed. "I didn't know you knew May-Lynn. You never mentioned her at the academy,"

"Oh yeah. Shang had a major crush on her at school," Fung smiled at Wei-Xian's horrified expression. "I think it's worn off now," Fung added, then Mulan drifted into his mind. "Yeah, it's definitely gone now,"

"Is that why he went off a minute ago?" Wei-Xian asked.

"Nah. He's got a lot on his mind," Fung said.

"Like what?" Wei-Xian probed.

"Stuff," Fung said, not wanting to reveal the whole Shang-liking-Mulan thing. _"It would take forever to explain," _He thought.

Wei-Xian nodded. "Oh, guess what. May-Lynn's pregnant again!" His face lit up at the thought of his third child.

"That's great," Fung smiled. "I'm pleased for you," He said, absent-mindedly. _"Yeah, I am pleased for them. What's with all the pregnancies tonight?"_ His thoughts drifted back to Mulan. The last he had seen of her was when she had left the room with her grandmother and her pregnant mother. Her father hadn't arrived and Mulan was worried about him. Her distressed face made Fung feel sad inside. _"I hope she's doing all right,"_

::::

"No offence, Mama, but don't you think...you and Baba are a bit old to be...having another child?" Mulan said to her mother.

From the steps that led into the Plaza, was a long, wide walkway that went around the entire Palace. It was covered by a red roof where dragon sculptures were perched, their wings open and teeth bared. Mulan, her mother and her grandmother were standing in this walkway, Mulan standing opposite her mother and grandmother.

"It's not like that-!" Fa Li stopped abruptly, staring behind Mulan. Mulan whipped around, to see her father standing there, solemn but angry at the same time.

"Baba?" Mulan looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Ignoring Mulan, Zhou walked past her and glared at Fa Li. He then turned back to Mulan. "I see she told you about the child," He glared again at Fa Li. "It's an absolute disgrace,"

Mulan raised her eyebrows. "Baba, isn't that going a bit far? Another child wouldn't be an absolute disgrace,"

"You think that's what the problem is?" Zhou said, his voice growing louder with each word. "It's not even mine! That child-," He pointed a quivering finger at Fa Li's stomach, "-isn't mine!"

Mulan's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"She obviously had a fling with some other man! Stupid wench!" Zhou lashed out at Fa Li, knocking her to the ground. Mulan gave a short shriek.

::::

"What was that?" Yao said to the rest of the Gang and Shang. They all looked around.

"It sounded like Mulan," Ling commented. "Come on," They all rushed outside to find the Fa family assembled on the walkway.

Fa Li was cowering on the floor, Grandma Fa kneeling next to her, supporting her by holding her arm. Fa Zhou towered over them, Mulan standing on the other side of her mother, her hands covering her mouth. None of them seemed to have noticed that all the Gang and Shang were watching them.

"Baba!" Mulan cried.

"You stay out of this!" Zhou yelled at her, hitting her around the face. Mulan stumbled back, her cheek slowly growing red. "It's got nothing to do with you!"

"_It's my sibling! It does involve me!"_ Mulan wanted to yell, but she knew better than to answer back when her father was in this mood. _"He'll calm down soon. He always does,"_

"I swear to God," Zhou threatened Fa Li. "If I ever see you again or that child of yours, I'll beat the living daylights out of you!" With that, he turned and stormed off.

Silence drifted around for a while. Mulan rubbed her red cheek, feeling the heat radiating from it. She looked at her mother and couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted.

"It's not Baba's?" She asked quietly. Fa Li looked at her daughter. She couldn't lie to her, Mulan would know whether it was the truth or not.

"No," She replied, staring down at the ground. Mulan nodded and then turned around, walked away from her mother, past the Gang and Shang and disappeared into the Palace. Fa Li watched her go, her heart sinking.

The Gang watched as she walked past, her head drooping and cheek red. She didn't look at them, but stared at the ground. As Fung and the Gang went forward to help Fa Li up, Shang hurried after Mulan, guessing she had gone to her room.

"Madam Fa? Are you all right?" Fung asked her politely, hoisting her up with the help of Ling.

"Is there anything we can get you?" Yao asked. "Some ice?"

Chien-Po hit him over the head. "This is no time for jokes!"

"I wasn't joking..."Yao mumbled, frowning at Chien-Po.

"No thank you. I'm fine," Fa Li said, dusting her skirt. Grandma Fa looked on worriedly. "Where did Mulan go?"

"I think she went inside," Fung said, looking back, expecting to see her pop out.

"Shang went after her," Chien-Po added. From his right, Ling began to snigger. This time, Fung hit him.

"This is no for jokes!" He snapped. Ling muttered something unintelligible. It was obviously something rude as Yao began to laugh and Fung shot a death-glare at Ling.

"Guys? Not the best time..." Chien-Po said, gesturing to Fa Li and Grandma Fa, who were looking at them, their eyebrows raised.

::::

"Mulan? Can I come in?" Shang asked through the door.

"Yes," She answered. Shang pushed open the door and looked in, expecting to see her lying on the bed, crying her eyes out over her absent-for-the-moment father and pregnant mother. He did not expect to see her curled up on the sofa, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Are you all right?" He asked, bewildered.

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked, giving him a sparkly grin. If it was a different situation, Shang would have considered himself extremely lucky to be on the receiving end of one of her phenomenal smiles. Right now, he was puzzled at why she was smiling so much.

"...because of your parents?" He asked. He came over and sat down opposite her on the bed.

"What about my parents?" Her smile was still there.

"_It looks more forced now, than natural," _Shang pondered._ "What's up with her?!"_

"Well...with your father leaving and your mother being pregnant," Shang added. Mulan's grin fell but was then hoisted up again.

"_Definitely fake,"_ Shang thought.

"Oh...that's no big deal. It'll blow over soon," She stood up, smoothing her skirt. "I think I'm going to go back to the banquet now, I'm really hungry," She strode briskly across the room, only to be stopped by Shang.

"Mulan, what's going on?" He asked her. "Why are you being...weird?"

"I'm being weird?" She snapped, insulted.

"No! I mean...why aren't you more...upset? Can it not have affected you that badly?" He asked her, his hands on her shoulders. She moved out of his grasp.

"Not really," She added before escaping out her room. Shang stared at the closed door, slightly freaked out.

::::

Outside, Mulan leaned against the door, breathing heavily. _"Idiot...why did he have to come after me?"_ She scowled. _"He cares for you...that's why,"_ Her conscious replied. Mulan kneaded her temples, trying to drown the voice out. _"No, he doesn't. Mama probably sent him after me,"_ She sighed.

Her stomach grumbled. She punched it lightly. _"Be quiet,"_ She scolded it, knowing that it couldn't hear her, let alone understand her. _"What am I doing? Has it really not affected me?"_ She thought, not hearing her door open.

"Mulan?" Shang asked. "How come you're still here? I thought you were going down to dinner," He frowned. "Are you all right?"

"Hmm,"

Shang reached into his robe and drew something out. "Here," He pressed it into his palm. Mulan looked down to see a golden biscuit lying in her hand, the crumbs tickling her palm.

"A honey biscuit?" She giggled. Shang smiled as well.

"My mother made me a whole batch. Eat it, they always make me feel better," He smiled again. Mulan raised the biscuit to her mouth and nibbled along the edge of it. Shang couldn't help but watch in amazement as she ate it, exposing her shiny white teeth.

"What?" She asked, aware he was watching her.

"Nothing. Well, I've never seen anyone eat a biscuit like that. Normally, I just swallow it whole,"

"I have a little bit more grace than you, Li Shang," Mulan replied, smiling. She swallowed the rest of the biscuit.

"You feel better?" He asked. Mulan nodded. "It's a magic biscuit,"

Mulan giggled. "Shang, we're not five anymore,"

Shang blushed. "All right, all right. Don't rub it in. I was addicted to those biscuits," Shang's eyes glazed over. "The house would always smell of...delicious smells whenever Mama was baking them. I used to wait outside the kitchen, just sniffing..." Shang's smile was creeping up again. "I used to want to eat them as soon as they were finished. Once, I ate one as soon as it had finished being baked. It was scalding hot and burnt my tongue,"

"Put you off them, huh?" Mulan sniggered.

"Not really. I just didn't eat them as soon as they had finished baking," Shang answered, grinning. "I know, it sounds really silly now,"

"It doesn't," Mulan replied quietly, smiling. Shang smiled back, his eyes twinkling.

"How are you?" He asked. Mulan's shoulder sagged.

"I don't know. I mean..."

"What?" Shang pressed her.

"I don't know,"

"Sometimes, it isn't good to keep things bottled up inside you. Maybe if you talked about it to someone, you'd feel better," Shang said. Mulan looked at him, her usual glittering eyes, filling slightly.

"If I don't tell it to myself, then it's not true," Mulan said, turning away from him. She bent her knees and sank to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs and then resting her chin on her knees. "If I don't say it to myself, then it's not happening," She repeated, more to herself than to Shang.

Shang sank down to the same position. _"What am I meant to say to that?" _He thought._ "Comfort her! Comfort her! ...How? Put your arm around her! Yeah...good idea. Wait, would she get the wrong idea about that?"_ Shang thought. The thoughts whizzing through his mind started to hurt, so he rubbed his forehead.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"_That's what I love about you,"_ Shang thought, looking at her. _"You ignore your own problems, however big, and always worry about others. You care so much for others; sometimes it's scary...well, it's scary to me,"_

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little headache," He lied. "You were saying?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," She replied, staring at her knees. She ran her fingers over the embroidered patterns on her dress.

"Yes, you do. You just don't know what to say," Shang replied. _"Whoa...where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, when Fung talked to me about Mulan's kidnapping..." _Shang couldn't help smiling slightly at the memory.

"I guess..." She nervously nibbled her nails. "How can my mother be pregnant? Also, how can it not be my father's? My parents love each other, what went wrong?" She burst out, turning a tortured face to Shang. He was amazed to see a flood of emotions painted across her face; anger, sadness, frustration and sorrow were just a few.

"Maybe there's more to it than you know," Shang replied simply. "Your mother might have a good reason to why it's not your father's,"

"Like what?" She demanded.

Stuck, Shang's mouth fell slightly. "I can't think of anything at the moment!" He replied. "But don't go jumping to conclusions before you know everything about this whole pregnancy issue. Listen to both your parents and then figure out which one you're the maddest at," He smiled.

Mulan smiled back. "Thanks,"

"No problem," Shang gave her a small smile back. She flicked the last crumb into his face. "Hey! Be nice to the guy who just made you feel better!"

Mulan stood up and gave him his hand. "Who said I'm feeling better?" She grinned.

"I can tell," He prodded her mouth. "It's your smile, it gives you away,"

"Drop it," She warned him. "Come on, let's go. I hope Mushu hasn't eaten everything," She grabbed his hand and they ran down the corridor, laughing.

::::

"Pass the chilli sauce, would you Lucky Bug?" Mushu asked Cri-Kee.

The pair were sitting in an air vent opening, similar to the one they had been in when Mulan was talking to Tao. They had sneaked as much food up there as they could carry and were having a 'Royal Feast', according to Mushu. They had taken five dishes and many smaller foods were piled high on one plate.

Mushu had taken four bowls of rice for himself and let Cri-Kee struggle to carry one bowl, for himself. Several meat dishes had been smuggled up also as well as three bowls of soup. Cri-Kee had protested, saying that people would notice if a lot food suddenly grew red or black legs, jumped off the table and then ran up the walls into an air vent. Mushu had interrupted, claiming that lots of people had been invited therefore a lot of food had been cooked and that they wouldn't mind a few dishes disappearing.

"Here," Cri-Kee gave Mushu the small dish containing the chilli sauce. He watched, in slight disgust, as Mushu emptied the entire dish's contents onto his rice. Mushu's dinner was now the same shade of red as he was. "Urgh..."

"What?" Mushu looked up from his chilli-drenched rice.

"Urgh..." Cri-Kee turned away from Mushu, creeped out by the chilli sauce dripping from Mushu's mouth. It looked uncomfortably like blood. "Hey look! Mulan's back!" He pointed down to the Ballroom door, where Mulan stood next to Shang.

"Aaw...at last my little baby's getting on well with her husband-to-be," Mushu pushed his rice out the way and lay down on his stomach. "This will be funny, Lucky Bug,"

Cri-Kee lay down next to Mushu and watched as the Gang went up to Mulan and talked to her. They could see Mulan nodding and then she started to laugh as Fung whispered something in her ear.

"What was that?" Mushu said to Cri-Kee, who shrugged.

They watched as Mulan left Shang's side and walked off with Fung.

"Huh? Why isn't she staying with Shang?" Mushu stared down at Mulan's little form.

"Who's that dude she's talking to?" Cri-Kee asked.

"That's Fung," Mushu answered.

"No, the other guy. The thinner guy, with the girl on his arm," Cri-Kee pointed to the little forms of Wei-Xian and May-Lynn.

"I don't know. I've never seen them before," Mushu replied.

"Come on, let's get down there," Cri-Kee stood up and hobbled over to the curtain. "God knows how we got up here with all those dishes," He said. Mushu grinned.

"That's because you're hanging with the Great Mushu," Mushu swelled his chest up and gave Cri-Kee his 'killer-smile'. Cri-Kee recoiled at the sight of the chilli-stained teeth.

"Okay...let's go," Cri-Kee slid down the curtain, wincing at the curtain burn that was developing on his hands. Mushu was about to follow him, when he grabbed two egg rolls, stuffed them into his mouth before gripping the curtain and following Cri-Kee down to the marble-tiled floor.

::::

"This is my wife, May-Lynn," Wei-Xian introduced May-Lynn to Mulan. She gave Mulan a graceful smile. Mulan replied with one of her cheeky grins before shaking her hand.

"I'm Fa Mulan," Mulan said.

"Oh, I know who you are," May-Lynn replied, her voice dripping with contempt. Mulan's eyebrows rose.

"You do?"

"Yes. I heard all about you, dressing up as a man and going into the army! What on earth possessed you to do such a thing?" She exclaimed. Mulan glared at her.

"I did it for my father. He would have been killed if he had gone into the army,"

"He would have died with honour, Fa Mulan. You're lucky that the Emperor was forgiving to you, otherwise you could have caused your family great shame," She went on, oblivious to Mulan's face, which was going steadily red.

"It didn't turn out like that in the end, did it?" Mulan snapped back. Fung looked worriedly at Wei-Xian. Wei-Xian shrugged back.

"I know, I'm just saying you're lucky," May-Lynn went on, an annoying smile playing on her lips.

"Luck's got nothing to do with it!" She snapped.

"I guess. It's a shame you had to cut your hair, isn't it. Look how short it is!" May-Lynn reached up to touch Mulan's hair but Mulan's hand shot up and grabbed her arm in an iron-strong grip. May-Lynn winced.

"Mulan!" Fung hissed. Reluctantly, Mulan's let May-Lynn's hand go, feeling a little bit guilty for leaving a red mark on her arm.

"You're got quite a temper, haven't you? You really aren't fit to be a woman!" May-Lynn scorned.

Fung stepped in front of Mulan, knowing that she was about to jump forward and hit the woman. He grabbed her arm and restrained her from going forward. "It's been nice to see you again, May-Lynn. I'll probably see you around sometime, Wei-Xian. Good luck for the future," Fung said, pulling Mulan along behind him. Mulan glared at May-Lynn's back as Fung dragged her away.

Fung pulled Mulan to a corner of the Ballroom, where they were hidden from May-Lynn's view by packs of people.

"Bitch," She muttered. "Why did you stop me for hitting her?"

"You have to learn to control your anger, Mulan," Fung reasoned. "Besides, that was Shang's old crush so don't go picking fights with her,"

"So what if she's Shang's old crush? What did he ever see in her?" She spat. "Besides-," She paused and looked at Fung. "'Old crush'?"

"Yeah?"

"Does that mean he likes someone now?" She questioned. Fung instantly realized what she was getting at.

"Um..."

Mulan's eyebrows rose again and she began to giggle.

"All right, all right," Fung started to laugh himself. He dragged Mulan back to the buffet table and found Shang, his mother and the Gang sitting at a table. "Hey guys!" He said.

"Hey," They all answered. Mulan started to laugh at the little pile of biscuits that were sitting on Shang's plate. "What?" They all asked.

"Nothing," She said, bouncing over and sitting next to Ling. She took an egg roll from Ling's plate and popped it into her mouth. "Yummy,"

"Excuse me!" Ling protested. "Did you just steal my egg roll, right in front of me?"

"Yup," Mulan's voice was muffled because of the egg roll. She began to laugh again at Ling's angry and astonished face. "Well, I'm going to get some food. See you later," She jumped up and skipped over to the table.

She ladled some soup into a bowl and was about to move onto the meat dishes when she noticed something in the soup. She could make out her own reflection and...

"What?" She said, turning around to look at Shang.

"Nothing. I talk to you?"

"Sure," She replied, leaving her soup bowl on the buffet table. Shang took her hand and led her to the walkway where Mulan had been minutes before, with her parents. She couldn't help but shudder at the memory of her father lashing out at her and her mother.

"You look beautiful tonight, Mulan," Shang said, smiling at her. Mulan flushed and stared down at the ground.

"Oh...thank you," She continued to stare at the ground.

"_Okay...next move..."_ Shang thought worriedly. _"Okay...what did Fung say next?" _"So...how are you?"

"I'm fine. Well...it's bit a little hard, what with my mother's pregnancy," Mulan explained. She could feel her eyes slightly brimming over at the memory of her father's outburst. _"...'I swear to God, if I ever see you again or that child of yours, I'll beat the living daylights out of you!' How could Baba say to her?" _Mulan sighed.

"Oh...well...just remember what I said earlier," Shang said, trying to get a smile back on her face.

"I know," She hesitantly said. "I'm sorry, I'm going on about myself. What did you want to say?" She gave him a smile.

_"Wow...she really does have a beautiful smile,"_ Shang thought. "Um...I mean...I need to say...no...I mean...um..." Shang's face was now the same shade as his cape. Mulan, puzzled and amused, watched as Shang tried to get some words out of his mouth.

"Yes?" She pressed him.

"I need to talk to you," He said.

"We are talking..." Mulan said, confused.

"I mean..." Shang paused again. Mulan began to giggle. Shang's red face was now wearing a tortured look. Mulan hurriedly swallowed her giggles.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Her voice trailed off.

"No, that's okay..." He said. "_My god, Yao was right! I do suck at talking to people I feel a lot for,"_ Shang cringed inside. _"I must sound like such an idiot,"_ "Mulan? Okay...well...recently, I've been feeling these..." He paused again.

"_Oh my god. What's he getting at?"_ Mulan started to feel nervous inside, but excited at the same time. "Yeah?"

"Um...at first I didn't know if they were just friendly feelings but now...I mean...yeah, now I know that they're-!" Shang stopped abruptly.

"Mulan!" Tiao Zao came running out from the Palace and threw himself onto her. "Hi!"

"Hey, Little Flea!" Mulan bent down and gave him a hug. "How are you doing?" She held him at arms' length and looked him up and down as a mother would to her child. "You're look very smart, Little Flea,"

"Baba gave me a cape. He said I mustn't get it dirty," Tiao Zao turned around and showed Mulan how he had bundled it up and tucked it into his ceremonial armour. "See? I think it's a good idea. This way it won't get dirty,"

"That is smart. It does look rather silly though," Mulan giggled. She tugged the cape out of his armour and let it dangle between his ankle and knee. "Look, it won't even touch the floor. It won't get dirty," She stood up and ruffled his hair.

"Oh yeah. Your grandma sent me to tell you that she wants you to join your mother and herself in their room. They're staying in the Guest Suite Five," Tiao Zao said importantly. He obviously thought himself extremely clever to give her a message and to remember it all.

"_Damn you, Tiao Zao," _Shang thought bitterly._ "Well, Attempt One has screwed up. I'll have to try another time," _Shang scowled inside._ "Every time I try and say something, something happens so she has to go," _

"Okay, sure," Mulan said. She turned to Shang and gave him a sad smile. "I'm just going to talk to Mama. Do you want to talk later?" She asked.

"Oh...nah..." Shang said. _"What? Why did I say no?"_ Shang cursed inside again. Mulan looked slightly disappointed. _"Quick, say yes! Say yes!"_ "Um...er..." Shang's voice came out all croaky.

"I'll see you later then," Mulan said, going off with Tiao Zao. Shang sighed.

::::

Mulan was about to push open the door, when she felt a tugging at her skirt. She glanced down.

"Guys!" She smiled as Mushu and Cri-Kee scampered up her and settled onto her shoulders. "Where were you?"

"We were eating," Mushu grinned. Mulan giggled. "What?"

"You've got some chilli on your teeth," She pointed.

"I know where my teeth are, you don't need to point," Mushu smacked her hand.

"Mulan?" The door opened and Grandma Fa stuck her head out. "I thought that was you. Who were you talking to?"

"No one," Mulan lied. She sidled into the room to see her mother and Madam Li sitting on the bed.

"Mulan, this is Madam Li. She is Shang's mother and one of my greatest friends," Fa Li said.

"I didn't know you knew each other," Mulan said, offering her hand to Madam Li, who shook it. _(A/N: They did shake hands in Ancient China, right?)_

"No, well, not until we both got married. Your father and Shang's were best friends in the Academy and when they were both General's in the army. It was Shang's father who saved your father when he was injured in battle and took him to safety," Madam Li explained.

"Oh right..." Mulan said, sinking down onto a chair opposite them. "Okay, what's going on?" She asked.

"Well..." Fa Li started. "As you know, that this child isn't your fathers," Mulan's face grew stern and Fa Li noticed it. "Let me finish, before you start blaming me," She went on.

"_She sounds like Shang," _Mulan thought, Shang's words coming back to her. _But don't go jumping to conclusions before you know everything about this whole pregnancy issue. Listen to both your parents and then figure out which one you're the maddest at',"_ She smiled at the memory.

"I am about five months pregnant. That's why you can see the bump," Fa Li went on.

"Five months?!" Mulan burst out.

"Yes!" Fa Li snapped back. "Will you listen to me before you start yelling?"

Mulan flushed. "Sorry,"

"As I said, I'm about five months pregnant. As it was so long ago, I can remember very little of the night. I can remember that I was walking in the market...it was about seven 'o' clock. I had just finished picking up the onions that I had forgotten when I did my mid-day shop. I was coming home and...I dropped some onions. I reached down to pick it up and..."

FLASHBACK (When Fa Li got pregnant):

"Onions...stupid onions..." Fa Li cursed as she walked along. She had bought many of them and the two bags that she was holding, were full to the brim. As she walked, a few fell from the top bag. "Damn,"

She bent down to pick them up and froze as a hand picked them up for her. Straightening up, she found herself face to face with a man, who was dressed all in black. He had a stern mouth, sharp nose and a strong chin but he had glittering eyes.

"Thank you," She said hesitantly. She reached out to take the onions but the man stepped back.

"Can you tell me where I can find the Fa family?" He asked.

"I am Fa Li, the mistress of the Fa family house. I'm sorry to trouble you, if you give me the onions, then I'll be on my way," She snatched the onions from his grasp, getting more and more nervous.

"It's nice to meet you, Fa Li. Tell me, your husband is Fa Zhou, is he not?" He asked her, walking forward. She began to creep backwards.

"Yes, yes, he is. How do you know my husband?"

"Oh, we go way back," He said. He reached forward and stroked her cheek. Fa Li opened her mouth and was about to scream when he silenced her by placing a hand over her open mouth.

He took a small bottle of white liquid from his pocket and emptied it down her mouth. It had no taste but burned as it went down her throat. She felt her arms go limp and she felt several onions bump against her legs as they fell from their bags. She felt the man drag her away before she went blacked out.

END FLASHBACK

"You were raped?" Mulan shuddered and she could feel Mushu trembling from inside her collar. She squeezed her eyes shut, in an effort to stop grotesque and sick images from scrolling across her eyes.

"I think so," Fa Li. Madam Li put an arm around Fa Li's trembling shoulders.

"It must have been some sort of weakening solution that he gave you," Madam Li suggested.

"I think it was," Fa Li replied. Her responses were short, which showed she didn't want to talk about it. It was a trait that Mulan had inherited.

"What do you remember about this man?" Mulan asked.

"Quite a lot, actually. He had a handsome face...a fairly muscular body as well, just like if he had been in the army. He was wearing a black tunic and brown boots and..." She thought for a while. "I remember he had some sort of necklace around his neck. I think it was green...green jade. That's right and it was in the shape of a lizard? No, a dragon,"

_A/N: I think you would have figured out the whole green dragon necklace thing and who it relates to. I hope this chapter was okay. I still need to work on more emotions and thoughts. Oh well. Please leave a review anyway!!_


	11. Buried in the Snow

**Disclaimer:** _As usual, own nothing except my people._

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – Buried in the Snow**

_A/N: Yes, over 100 reviews!! WOOOOOHOOOO!!!!_

_Big thank you to all my reviewers who managed to get me to where I am now. YAY! So big big thank you to people who reviewed Chapter Ten and to everybody who's reviewed and read my story. Thank you so much and I love you all!!_

_Oh yeah, and just so you know. The part with Shui Jing and the house-fire is not the dream Mulan had! It actually happened and it all works in with the story, so don't think it was her dream._

Mulan was walking in absent-mindedly around the Palace. She had left her mother, grandmother and Li Jia as soon as she had heard the description of the man. Disorientated, she had wandered into the Gardens, where its breath-taking beauty had shaken her out of her stupor.

The gardens were enormous, surrounding the Palace with forests were growing behind and around. Every single flower known to mankind _(A/N: Well, the Chinese...maybe not mankind)_ was growing in abundance and glades, thickets and small ponds rounded every corner. Different passages led into different areas of greenery while birds cooed above, hidden away in the treetops.

"_Tao...raped my mother. Tao raped my mother,"_ Mulan sat down on a tree stump and angrily kicked its rotting bark. _"Tao did? TAO did? I thought he had changed,"_

"Mulan! Mulan!" The Gang, minus Fung, ran down the path towards her.

"Huh?" She turned around and looked at them.

"What happened?" Yao asked, eagerly. He sat down on an opposite tree stump. "With your mother and all that,"

Chien-Po and Ling sat down on the grass in between them, forming a square. "How are you doing?" Chien-Po asked her gently.

"I don't know. I mean, it's a big thing. My father's gone for the moment and my mother is five months pregnant, as she was raped by a former Hun, who I got to know very well!" She snapped. "How do you think I'm doing?!"

"Tao?!" Ling exclaimed. "Tao raped your mother?" He paused. "Your mother was raped?!"

Mulan nodded. Yao looked sadly at her.

"How you holding?"

"I don't know. I mean, how am I meant to react to this? I guess...I would be all right if my mother was pregnant from my father and...I guess I could cope if my mother had a one-night stand with a man and then felt really sorry about it...but how can I be when one of my friends raped her?" Mulan said, trying to put everything she was feeling into words.

"I don't know," Chien-Po said. That was the truth, he and the rest of the Gang had no idea what to say.

"I thought this guy was my friend, you know. I really did...and yet..." Mulan sighed. "How could he do this to me?"

"Okay, let's look at this logically," Chien-Po put in. "Mulan, Tao didn't even know you existed when he..." Chien-Po paused, not wanting to say the actual word.

"Go on," Mulan said, gently.

"...raped your mother. He was probably under the orders of the Huns, he probably wasn't in his right mind when he actually did it. He wasn't trying to hurt you,"

"But he did. He, also, didn't mention anything to me about it, when I was with him!" Mulan snapped.

"Maybe he didn't know that you were her daughter," Yao suggested.

"Of course he did. I'm Fa Mulan, Fa! How could he not know? He even told me that he knew who I was," She replied.

"Fa isn't a rare surname, he might have thought that you were someone else," Ling added.

"I guess...why didn't he tell me?" Mulan snapped again.

"Did he tell you anything else about his past?" Chien-Po asked.

"Yeah, he said that he...was kidnapped and killed his first victim at the age of six," Mulan offered.

"He didn't add anything to that, did he? Did he actually give you any information about the numerous murders he had committed, forced or not? He didn't say anything extra than you wanted to know, so why should he have to tell you that he raped a woman?" Chien-Po reasoned.

"That does make sense," Mulan said.

"Let's say that he knew that you were the daughter of the woman he raped. He wouldn't tell you that, would he?" Yao added.

Mulan sighed and nodded. "I know you guys are right...and yet it's so hard to accept it. I'm just so mad at him...and my father, mother and myself,"

"Whoa, that's a lot. Why are you mad at your parents?" Ling asked.

"Mama never told Baba about the rape, did she? Why didn't she? Did she think my father would disown her?" Mulan asked them.

"Maybe she wanted to forget about it, all together," Ling suggested.

"How could she? The baby was growing inside her, she must have realised that it was. That bump in front of her would have reminded her of the rape," Mulan answered. Ling shrugged, beaten.

"What about your father?" Chien-Po asked. "Technically, he didn't do anything wrong,"

"He hit Mama...and me," She said. Chien-Po bit his lip.

"You know, Mulan, that is isn't considered wrong for husbands to hit their wives or children, as long as they are just doing it to keep them in check and he doesn't kill them," Chien-Po explained. "When I was little child, my father would hit me if I disobeyed him. I don't think of it as...abuse, it was more a lesson,"

"Yeah," Yao put in. "I would get hit by my father and I don't think much, anymore,"

"Did they ever do it in public?" Mulan asked. They both shook their heads. "What about you, Ling?"

"My father never hit me," He answered. "Never,"

"So how would you feel if he did?" She asked him.

"I don't know. Either anger at him, but more likely shame, because I would have done something wrong. I don't think he would just hit, for the sake of it," He explained.

"What did I do wrong?" Mulan protested.

"Well, you did yell at him when he was in a bad temper," Yao suggested. Mulan groaned.

"Come on, don't blame yourself," Yao said, then paused. "Why are you blaming yourself?"

"For trusting that bastard," Mulan grinded her teeth together and her fingers curled into fists.

"You couldn't help that. You obviously thought he was...charming?" Ling put forward.

"'Charming'? Never trust charming men! Never ever trust charming men!" Mulan scolded her herself and rubbed her temples.

"You don't trust me?" Ling protested. "I'm very insulted!"

Mulan grinned. "Shut up,"

"Don't be that angry at yourself. You couldn't help but like him, because he's your friend," Chien-Po added.

"I hate him now," Mulan hissed. "I hate that...son of a bitch!"

"I know," Chien-Po patted her hand. "Come on, let's get back up to the Palace, it's getting cold out here," Chien-Po stood up and looked around. "Not to mention dark,"

Mulan stood up too. "Yeah, I guess,"

::::

"Well, that banquet kind of sucked, huh?" Mulan said to Mushu, as she walked down the corridor to the Dining Room, where the rest of the Gang were eating breakfast, the following morning.

"I guess. Well, your bit did. My part was good...all the food..." Mushu grinned at the memory. Mulan turned her head to look at the little red dragon on her shoulder.

"What?"

"Yeah, never mind. So, how you doing, babe?" Mushu asked.

"Pretty much the same as I told you last night," She said, stopping outside the Dining Room door. "Do you think my parents will be in here?" She gestured to the door.

"I don't know about your dad but your mum and grandma aren't. They already ate earlier,"

"Earlier?"

"Yeah, about a half an hour ago," Mushu said.

"Yeah, all right," Mulan said, leaning against the door and stumbling into the room.

"Hey!" A chorus of voices yelled out to her and, as usual, Tiao Zao came running towards her, for a hug. Mulan bent down and scooped the little boy, smiling, despite her sadness from the previous night.

"Hey, Little Flea!" She gave him a peck on the cheek and a grinning Tiao Zao, gave her a kiss back. "Aaw,"

"Feeling better?" Chien-Po asked her, from behind Tiao Zao's head. She nodded and put Tiao Zao back on the ground.

"Yeah, a little bit," She smiled.

Shang came up from behind Fung and Yao and smiled at her. "The Emperor said he wanted to see you after you've eaten. We figured it was something important as he delivered the message to us personally, instead of getting a messenger to do it,"

Mulan nodded. "Sure,"

Along with the rest of the Gang, Shang and Tiao Zao, Mulan sat down at the table and helped herself to some porridge. She spooned some up and let it trickle back into the bowl.

"Not hungry?" Shang asked.

"Not much," She said, but ate some anyway, so they wouldn't start freaking out about her not having eaten for a while.

Nothing was said as they ate their breakfast. Mulan could see Shang watching her, out of the corner of his eye. She hoped he wasn't comparing her to Chien-Po, who was sitting next to her, as she had only eaten half a bowl of porridge and Chien-Po had eaten three.

After they were finished, Mulan stood up and was about to leave, when Tiao Zao caught up with her.

"Where are you going?" He asked her.

"I have to go see your grandpa," She said.

"Ooh, ooh! Can I come with you?" He asked her, putting on a sweet and angelic voice. It came out sickly and thick, like treacle. _(A/N: They didn't have treacle, but go with me)_

"I guess you can," She said. He held up his hand and she took it, ignoring the stickiness that seemed to be either from his morning porridge or it was trait of 'sticky hands' that all six year olds had.

::::

"So, how did it go?" Fung said, pouncing on Shang as soon as Mulan had left the room, Tiao Zao in tow.

"What do you mean?" He said, looking up from his porridge, to see the eager faces of the Gang staring at him.

"Telling Mulan that you love her, duh!" Ling said, moving up to sit opposite Shang and propping his chin up on his elbows.

"Oh yeah...it didn't happen," Shang said, stirring the contents of his bowl with his chopsticks.

"What? Why not?" Chien-Po said, astonished.

"Tiao Zao came and got in the way. He said that Mulan's grandmother wanted to see her so she got dragged away by Tiao Zao," Shang said, staring down at the bowl.

"Oh..." Yao said. "Well, that sucks,"

Shang looked up. "You think?"

"Actually, yeah..." Fung said. Shang sighed and pushed the bowl away and looked at the Gang.

"What am I going to do?" He asked them.

"You'll have to tell her. Come on, you haven't lost anything. She didn't even know what you were going to say," Fung said.

"I have lost about half my courage to tell her. There's no way I can tell her now. It's too hard!" Shang protested.

"This is the new General, who will lead us into many battles, some victorious and some not," Yao said. "He can work out battle strategies, talk to high-ranking officials and stay brave in the face of danger...and yet he can't tell a girl that he loves her,"

Shang flicked some porridge in his face. "Don't start,"

"Look, nothing is going to happen unless you tell her. You were going to tell her last night, so just try and do it again sometime," Chien-Po suggested.

"I can't. Every time that I've tried to tell her, something happens or I lose my confidence," Shang said.

"When have you tried to tell her?" Yao said. "It was just yesterday!"

"Hello? I've tried like ten times!" Shang snapped.

"Ten?!" Chien-Po and Ling cried.

"That many?" Fung said. "Whoa, Shang. You really do suck at the whole love thing," Shang shot a death-glare at Fung.

"Okay, let's think. Well, first there was the 'you fight good' time, when she had just saved your butt from Shan-Yu," Mushu said, popping up from under the table, from where he and Cri-Kee had been eavesdropping on their conversation, while managing to eat five bowls of porridge between them.

"That's one," Fung said.

"Guys...can we please not count how many I've tried to tell her?" Shang pleaded.

"Then, you went to her house to tell her," Chien-Po said, ignoring Shang. "I'm taking it you didn't get round to tell her?"

Shang rose his eyebrows. "If I had, do you think I'd be sitting in this room and having a conversation with you lot about how I can tell her that I love her?"

"...oh yeah...you can have a point," Chien-Po said, embarrassed.

"That's two," Fung said, keep score on his fingers.

"He followed her when she went into the forest around Wu Zhong," Ling said.

"You saw me?!"

"That's three," Fung went on.

"In Wu Zhong, after we had finished swimming in the lake, he hung back when she did," Yao remembered.

"Four. Oh yeah, he definitely tried in the Palace cells, when we were being held there," Fung said.

"That's five," Yao said.

"Guys..."

"He stayed and talked to her after we killed those Huns in the curtain," Yao said.

"Six," Fung said, holding up six fingers.

"After she had the nightmare, night before last," Mushu said,

"Seven,"

"Oh, after the executions!" Chien-Po said.

"Eight,"

"Last night," Yao added.

"Nine," Fung started to laugh. "You've tried and failed nine times to tell her?" The rest of the Gang and Mushu started to laugh. Cri-Kee wasn't laughing, as he felt sorry for Shang, who was now red and trying to act normal.

"Okay, I'm not very good with the love thing," Shang said. "You happy now? I've admitted it!"

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy. Let's just think of a plan where you can tell her and we'll make sure that no one interrupts you, so we'll hold on to Tiao Zao and things like that," Fung said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Yao grinned.

"No, it's not. Something will happen. Anything could happen, and it probably will. Every time that I've tried and every single time I can't. It's not like I want to but that I don't want to keep getting hit down every time I try. It does hurt, you know," Shang said, sadly. Fung frowned.

"Don't worry man," Mushu said. "You'll tell her someday and then you'll be glad that you've been trying for so long,"

"I hope so," Shang said.

"Yeah, don't worry," Fung said. "It'll turn out fine,"

"What'll turn out fine?" A voice said. They all turned around to see Mulan and Tiao Zao coming over.

"Nothing," Fung said.

"Yeah, nothing," Yao said.

Mulan rose her eyebrows and sat down opposite Shang. He looked annoyed and upset. "Are you all right?"

Embarrassed, Shang nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine," Shang was starting to go red and as Mulan was looking weirdly at him, Fung decided that it was a good time to change the subject.

"What did the Emperor want to tell you?" He asked.

"Oh, he just wanted to tell me that my father left for home last night. Can you believe that? He didn't even tell anyone!" Mulan said.

"Oh..." Fung said.

"What are you doing to do?"

"I guess I'll have to go back home. My mother and grandmother are staying here, that's already been arranged,"

"What are you going to do when you get there? No offence, you're father seemed pretty angry. What if he doesn't want to talk to you?" Chien-Po asked.

"I don't know. I'll think of something," Mulan said. "I'm actually going to leave now, because my house is far away from here. It's like...a few days or something,"

"Yeah...oh, great idea!" Ling said. "We'll come with you! You might get a bit lonely on the journey anyway,"

"Oh, okay, sure. That'd be good," Mulan smiled.

"Okay, that's settled. Shang, you're going to come too, right? You have that...stuff to pick up from Wu Zhong, right?" Fung said, treading on his feet.

"What? Oh yeah...I got to pick up some stuff," Shang lied.

"Right, if we go via the Tung Shao Pass, we can stop off at Wu Zhong and then go to your home. That'll take about three days, or so," Fung said, quickly calculating days and maximum distance they could travel in a day. "Wu Zhong is about two days, not including the night, away from the Palace, so give it an extra day to get to Mulan's house. That's okay with everyone, right?"

"Actually, that fits in really well. I have an appointment to meet my betrothed!" Yao said, excitedly.

"Already? Have long have you been betrothed?" Mulan said.

"I don't know. I'm not good at counting days," Yao grinned.

"I didn't know you could meet your betrothed before the wedding," Fung said.

"I don't think you can, but the Emperor handled my match. He gave me the privilege of allowing me to see her before we get married. She actually lives in a village near yours, Mulan. So while you go talk to your father, I can go see her and get the wedding sorted out," Yao said.

"Can I come with you guys?" Tiao Zao asked everyone. They all paused.

"I guess you could. You'd have to ask your father and grandfather," Shang said. "Even then, your father might want to come along,"

"Okay, I'll go ask him now," Tiao Zao got up and ran out the room.

"He's sweet," Chien-Po said.

"Yeah, he is. He's so...lively too. He radiates energy, I swear," Mulan said, smiling.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go pack for the journey," Ling got up, followed by the rest of the Gang. "What's say we meet in the Plaza, in about ten minutes?"

"Sure,"

::::

"Come on, come on!" Mulan snapped, impatiently.

She, Fung and Tiao Zao were waiting in the Plaza. She could see the small forms of Shang and Ling coming from the stables and Yao was nowhere in sight.

Mulan was sitting on top of Khan, Tiao Zao in front of her. She had been given strict instructions from Ming Hua to never let him out of her sight. Fung had been with her at the time and now he shared the responsibility of looking after Tiao Zao with Mulan.

Fung was sitting on his own horse, bags and packages were strapped across the back of the horse. He was impatient to be off as well.

Shang and Ling joined them, both on their horses. Khan and Shang's horse were not the best of friends, which showed as Khan trotted away from Shang's horse when Shang went forward to talk to Fung.

"Khan doesn't like your horse, Li Shang," Tiao Zao said, patting Khan.

"You can call me Shang," Shang said.

"Okay,"

"Oh, there's Yao!" Fung said, pointing in the distance to the small figure of Yao. When he finally caught up with them, Mulan frowned at him.

"You took your time,"

"I had problems finding my horse," Yao panted. "Someone had let him out the stables and he was roaming around in the Palace Gardens,"

Fung and Ling looked away. Mulan noticed this and giggled.

"What?" Yao said.

"Nothing, come on, let's go," She said. She pulled Khan around and followed Shang and Fung out the Plaza Gates.

::::

Their first break was after an hour, as Ling said that he needed to relieve himself. They had stopped in the middle of a small wood, in a clearing. Ling had run off to behind some bushes, followed by Yao. Chien-Po went for a walk while Fung and Shang sat, talking.

"Mulan, how long until we get there?" Tiao Zao said. Mulan lifted the little boy off the horse and put him on the ground.

"I don't know exactly, Little Flea. We have to go through the Tung Shao Pass first, which is a big...pass through the mountains. It'll be snowing there," She explained.

"Oh...I love snow!" Tiao Zao's eyes lit up. "Can we have a snowball fight?"

Mulan smiled. "I doubt it, Little Flea. We're probably going to want to get through the Pass as soon as possible. It's not a very comfortable place to stop overnight,"

"How do you know? Have you been there before?" Tiao Zao asked. He sat down on the grass, leaning against Khan, who was also kneeling on the grass. Mulan sat down opposite him.

"Yes, I have," She paused, remembering everything that had happened there. "I never thought I'd have to go back there, again,"

"What happened?" Tiao Zao asked.

"A lot," She said, truthfully. She cleared her throat and began to tell him all about what had happened in the Pass.

"Is that it? You killed them all in an avalanche, then you went to the Imperial City? Baba told me that Grandpa had told him that you were left behind,"

Mulan grimaced at the memory. "Yes...I was," With great reluctance, she told Tiao Zao about Shang discovering her identity and how he rose the sword above her head...and how she was scared...and how unforgiving he looked. Mulan bit her lip.

"Shang was going to kill you?" Tiao Zao said quietly, looking over at where Fung, Shang, Yao and Ling were sitting. "Whoa..."

"I know. Little Flea, don't ask him about it, or bring the subject up with him, okay?" She looked at him. "Can you promise me that?"

"Sure," He gave her a big grin.

"Mulan, we should be off now!" Chien-Po said, having returned from his walk.

"Okay!" She said. She hoisted Tiao Zao back up onto Khan, then got on herself.

::::

"I don't want to sleep here," Tiao Zao said. "It's too cold!" He gestured to the trees around him and the approaching darkness.

"We can always make a fire," Fung said, from his horse. He was riding next to Mulan, who was in the middle, squashed between Fung and Chien-Po.

"In a wood? That happens if we burn the place down?"

"Yeah, somehow I don't think that's going to happen," Fung said. "We do watch the fire, you know,"

"I know," Tiao Zao said.

"We'll have to stay here," Shang said, stopping his horse. "I don't think we can go much further and it's getting dark,"

"This has been the most boring day of my life," Tiao Zao muttered, as he slid of Khan. Fung sniggered.

"You think this is boring? Try listening to one of your grandpa's speeches at some big ceremony. That bores the crap out of you,"

"What's crap?" Tiao Zao, with childish innocence.

"Um...ask your father," Fung said, walking hurriedly off, in search of wood to make a fire.

"What's crap?" Tiao Zao asked Mulan. Mulan smiled.

"Stuff," She said, pulling a blanket out of her pack. She sat down in front of the little pile of twigs that Chien-Po has collected and watched as Yao tried to set it alight.

Tiao Zao sat down next to her, pulling the blanket off her and onto him. Mulan rolled her eyes, watching the twigs, which had been successfully set alight by Ling.

::::

They sat around the fire, talking and eating. Mulan ate little, saying she didn't have much of an appetite. Tiao Zao gave Chien-Po a run for his money, managing to eat twice as much as Chien-Po did. Chien-Po was still sore about it as he pitched his tent. Mulan put hers up between Fung and Tiao Zao's.

"I wouldn't let it bother you too much," Mulan said to Chien-Po, as he sat by the fire. The others were pitching their tents behind them.

"No, I'm not angry at him. Just that...with my illness, it's been giving me all these headaches and I'm finding physical exercise a lot harder now," Chien-Po explained.

"Oh...maybe you shouldn't have come with us," Mulan said.

"No, the doctor told me that I must go on and live my life as normal. The illness is making me bad-tempered as well," He said sadly. He picked up a twig, chucked it on the fire and watched it burn.

"How are you feeling?" Mulan asked him, gently.

"Tired," He said, truthfully.

"Go to sleep,"

"I can't. My body is tired but my brain is wide awake. Sleep doesn't come easily to me, anymore," He sighed.

"Maybe you should just rest. Not sleep, just lie down," Mulan said.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Chien-Po stood up and patted Mulan on the shoulder. "Thank you,"

"No problem," She smiled. She watched as she entered her tent, and one by one, her companions went to bed. Mulan stayed by the fire to make sure it had completely died out, before going to her own tent.

::::

"How long until we get there?"

"About half-way now, Little Flea," Fung said. He was now calling Tiao Zao 'Little Flea' as well. _"Maybe I've been hanging around Mulan and him too much,"_ He thought. "We have to go through the Tung Shao Pass first,"

"Is that the big mountain?" Tiao Zao asked.

"Yeah...kind of," Fung said, ruffling the little boy's head. Tiao Zao had taken a great liking to Fung, as well as Mulan, and was now riding with Fung.

The Tung Shao Pass had not changed, in Mulan's opinion. The snow continued to fall thickly around them, forcing them to bury their faces into their collars, in a bitter attempt to keep their noses and cheeks warm. The mountains loomed down above them, their glistening white tops threatening to fall.

"This place hasn't changed," Mulan said to Shang, who was riding next to her.

"I don't think it would change easily, Mulan. It is a load of mountains and snow, after all," He smiled at her.

"How long do you reckon it's going to take for us to get through here?" She asked him.

"Probably an hour or so," Shang said. "I don't know, you'd have to ask Fung. He was much better at arithmetic and geography in the Academy than me, or Wei-Xian," Shang said.

"You know Wei-Xian?" She asked.

"Yeah, he went to the Academy with Fung and I. The three of us were best friends there," Shang said.

"So, you know May-Lynn also?" She said, cunningly. Shang flushed and stared straight ahead.

"Yeah, she went to my school, before the Academy," He said.

"She's a bitch," Mulan muttered.

"So I heard. Fung told me about the things she said to you. That was really out of order. She doesn't know anything about you and your reasons for going into the army so don't listen to her,"

Mulan smiled at her, relieved that he didn't still like her. _"He deserves better than that bitch,"_ She thought.

"Here, do you want this?" Shang asked, holding out his hand. Mulan smiled.

"Another biscuit?" She giggled, picked it up and swallowed it whole.

"That's better," He grinned. Mulan would have grinned back, but the biscuit was hurting her throat. "Are you okay?" He asked. He reached over and patted her on the back. Mulan coughed.

"Yeah, I'm good now,"

"You still need practise. It's quite an art to be able to pick up a biscuit and swallow it whole,"

"They are quite big, you know,"

"I know,"

::::

"Do we have to stop again?" Ling moaned. He sat down heavily on a snow-covered rock.

"It's not my fault that I need to pee!" Yao said, scrambling off his horse and running off. Fung smiled.

"Yeah, I got to go too," Tiao Zao said. He started running off in the same direction as Yao, when Fung stepped in front of him and turned him the other way.

"You probably wouldn't want to see Yao, at this particular moment in time. It's probably not a pretty sight, right Mulan?" Ling said, laughing from where he was sitting on the rock, next to Chien-Po. Chien-Po began to grin too as Mulan blushed.

"What?" Fung and Shang said, simultaneously.

"Guys!" Mulan snapped at Ling and Chien-Po.

"Come on, you have to admit, it was funny, right?" Chien-Po said.

"Not for me!"

"What? What happened?" Fung asked.

As briefly as she could, Mulan explained to Fung about Yao's King-of-the-Rock scene, when she was at Wu Zhong for the first time.

Fung found it hilarious, while Shang was horrified.

"Mulan saw Yao naked?" Fung said, laughing his head off.

"Only a bit. I looked away before...I saw anything," Mulan protested. Fung continued to laugh wildly and was only silenced when a snowball hit him in the face. He turned around to see a grinning Mulan, sheltering behind Chien-Po. Fung picked up a snowball and hurled it at her. She ducked, so it hit Chien-Po.

Chien-Po flung two snowballs at Fung, who retaliated with two more, which hit Ling and Mulan. Soon, all four of them were engaged in a large snowball fight. Shang was sitting at the side, not wanting to join in.

Shang finally got a bit bored of watching the four of them run around, chucking snowballs, so he decided to go and find Tiao Zao. He wandered around in the direction of where Tiao Zao had gone and finally spotted a small figure sitting on the ground.

Shang ran up to Tiao Zao, to find him crying.

"What's wrong?" Shang said, bending down next to him.

"I hurt my ankle," Tiao Zao sobbed. "I tripped over something,"

"How can you trip over snow?" Shang asked.

"I don't know. It wasn't snow. It was back there," Tiao Zao pointed a few yards away.

Curious, Shang went over, knelt down and started shifting through the snow to find what Tiao Zao had tripped over. He stopped when he felt a piece of cloth.

"Hey, Tiao Zao, give me a hand with this,"

"I can't! I have a hurt ankle!" Tiao Zao whined.

"What's going on?" A voice came over to them. Shang and Tiao Zao turned to see Ling coming towards them.

"Yao pushed me over, because I hit him in the eye with a snowball and then they all ganged up on me, so I ran off," Ling said. "What's going on?"

"Tiao Zao hurt his ankle by tripping over something. I think it's here," Shang said. "Tell you what, you start shifting all this snow and I'll help Tiao Zao with his ankle. Okay?"

"Sure," Ling replied and started scrabbling amongst the snow, sending white flakes flying.

Shang pulled Tiao Zao's hair ribbon out and bandaged it around the little boy's ankle, tightly.

"Ow! Don't do it tightly, it hurts more!" He complained.

"It's better if you do it tightly. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I'll have to carry you back anyway, it's probably better if you don't put any weight on that ankle," Shang said.

"Shang! Come and see this!" Ling cried frantically, from where he was crouching in the snow.

Puzzled, Shang went over to where he kneeling in the snow and stared in horror.

A girl was lying there, buried in the snow. Her lips were blue, her fingernails were solid black and parts of her skirt hem were missing, burnt marks showing what had happened to her.

"Oh god," Shang breathed. "Is she dead?"

Ling felt for her pulse. "No, but it's really weak. Come on, help me finish digging her out and we'll have to take her with us,"

_A/N: You should know who that is and if you think back to my summary, I said that 'Ling makes a discovery'....Don't worry, everything works out. Thanks and review!!_


	12. Forming the Consortium

**Disclaimer:** _As usual, own nothing except my people._

**CHAPTER TWELVE – Forming the Consortium**

_A/N: Okay, some very...interesting reviews. Thank you to Skymouth, baka-onna2003, and Orion Kohaishu for their reviews._

_belle, thanks for your review on the Emperor quote, which does make sense, but I want the Emperor to seem much more friendly when he's with friends like the Gang...so..._

_I might or might not kill Chien-Po off and I'm not evil because of it. :P _

_Also, thank you to my loyal reviewers: pepe ok, sumayyah, Angel452 and A Cute But Psycho Bunny. _

_Also...BIG thank you to mess531y for her first review and then for her second, very supporting, review. I am going somewhere with Chien-Po's illness. Thank you so much anyway!!_

_And for future reference...the girl who was buried in the snow and was in the beginning part of Chapter Nine, is a real person and the house-fire actually happened so...SHE IS NOT A DREAM! NOR IS SHE ANY PART OF THE NIGHTMARE MULAN HAD!!! _

..._Just so you know. :D_

"I need some food," Yao said, digging around in his pack. "Where's all my food?"

"You ate it last night," Chien-Po said, biting on a cold egg roll. Mulan was sitting opposite him, on a rock, pulling a face. "What's your problem?"

"You know what my problem is. Cold egg rolls? Urgh!" She stuck her tongue out.

"You think this is bad?" Chien-Po said, waving the egg roll around. "You eat weirder things! I saw you-! Hey!" Chien-Po turned to see Yao's hand in his pack, trying to find food. "Get out!" He slapped Yao's hand, which withdrew immediately.

"Okay, fine, fine," Yao scowled and looked over at Ling's discarded pack. "Let's see what Ling's got!" Yao went over and started rooting around in his pack. Fung frowned, from his seat on a rock next to Mulan's.

"Why didn't you bring your own food?"

"I did! I just...ate it all," Yao said, sheepishy. He drew out an egg roll. "An egg roll!"

"More cold egg rolls?" Mulan exclaimed. "What is it with you people?"

"Egg rolls are nice," Yao said, swallowing the whole egg roll whole.

"Also, what is with guys having to swallow everything whole? You can't spare a tiny bit of energy to actually chew something and then swallow it, like a normal person?!" Mulan snapped.

"Hey, we do chew things! We don't swallow everything whole!" Fung complained.

"Like what?"

"I don't know!" Fung said, taking an egg roll from Yao's hand and swallowing it.

"We have more food, right?" Chien-Po asked.

"I haven't," Yao said.

"Yeah, me neither," Fung said, brushing his hands. "I just finished mine,"

The three of them turned to Mulan. "What about you?" Chien-Po asked.

"I don't know," Mulan said, searching her bag. "Actually, I do have a stash of Shang's honey biscuits that I stole from him," She said, pulling out a small bag, containing several small golden circles.

"Honey biscuits!" Fung yelled, delighted. He snatched the bag from Mulan's hand, opened it and poured half the contents into his mouth.

"Fung!" Mulan cried. She grabbed the bag away from him, before wiping the opening of the bag on his cape. "Urgh..."

Fung made a noise and began to cough.

"Having some trouble swallowing?" Yao sniggered. Fung nodded, his cheeks bulging and his throat was stuffed with biscuits.

"Give us one," Chien-Po said, holding out his hand. Mulan chucked him the bag.

"Just leave me one," She said as Chien-Po ate a few. He threw the bag to Yao, who ate the remaining biscuits. "Or not..." She said, catching the empty bag.

"Guys!" A voice yelled. They all turned to see Ling and Shang running over, Tiao Zao on Ling's shoulders and a small frame was cradled in Shang's arms.

"Huh?" They all said, getting up from their rocks. As Shang and Ling drew closer, Ling asked Yao to get some bandages, which Yao did.

"What? What is it?" Chien-Po said.

"Oh my god, is she all right?" Mulan said, horrified. She watched as Shang took off his cape, placed it on the ground and lay the girl on it. "What happened? Where was she?"

"Buried in the snow," Ling said, setting Tiao Zao down on a rock.

"Here," Yao said, giving Shang the bandages.

"What are these for?" Shang said, looking at the bandages lying in his palm.

"I don't know, Ling told me to get them," Yao shrugged.

"She's unconscious and is probably freezing to death," Chien-Po said, taking the bandages and putting them in his bag. "She has no need for bandages!"

"Actually, she does," Mulan said, pointing out the very noticeable cuts, scratches and blood clots on the girl's face.

"Oh yeah..."Chien-Po said. He hurried began dressing the girl's wounds, pulling the bandage wrap apart with his teeth.

Ling knelt down next to Shang and brushed the girl's hair away from her face. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, hanging around here won't help her," Fung said. "Come on, we have to leave her and get to Wu Zhong, or anywhere where we can warm her up. Being stuck in the mountains won't help,"

"You're right," Ling said. "I'll take her,"

"Okay," Shang picked her up, wrapped his cape around her and waited for Ling to get on his horse, before handing her to him.

Mulan was talking to Tiao Zao, who was still sitting on the rock. He was still in tears because of his sprained ankle. Shang rolled his eyes. _"This is going to be our future emperor?"_ He thought.

"Come on, Little Flea, you can be strong, can't you?" Mulan said, wiping his tears. Tiao Zao shook his head. "Come on," She picked him up and put him on Khan. Shang caught hold of her arm.

"Why are you so soft with him?"

"Excuse me?"

"He's the Emperor's grandson. He's a boy. He shouldn't be crying because of a sprained ankle!" Shang hissed. "Sure, I'd expect this from a girl-" He broke off at Mulan's glare. "I mean..."

"Shang, leave it. He's in pain and he's only young,"

"He's been pampered all his life. He's got to learn to..." Shang paused. "To be a man!"

"'To be a man'? Shang, he's six years old!" Mulan frowned.

"At six years old, I'd already be training!" Shang snapped.

"Guys?" Fung called from his horse. They both looked over and he gestured to the girl, who was being cradled by Ling. "Hanging around is not going to help her,"

"Right," Shang said, letting go of Mulan's arm and clambering on his horse, Mulan doing the same.

--------

Wu Zhong hadn't changed. The hundreds of tents that were there the last time Mulan had been there, were still there, the cross of High Ranked Officials, and Mulan, tents were still there and the arrow in the pole was still there too.

As soon as they arrived, Shang, Yao and Fung went straight into the medical tent, taking the girl and Tiao Zao with them. Mulan, Yao and Chien-Po went to leave the horses in the paddock.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" A worried Ling asked Mulan. Ling wanted to go with them, but Shang said that the tent would be too crowded. "How come Yao got to go and see whether she'll be all right?"

"He got there first, I guess," Chien-Po said. Ling sighed.

"I don't know whether she'll be all right. According to Shang, they reckon she's been buried in the snow for a day or so," Mulan said, patting Khan. "I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, Ling,"

"She will be," Chien-Po said, with conviction.

Ling rounded on him. "How do you know? How do you know she won't die because of pneumonia or some other disease? How do you know her limbs won't just drop off-?" Ling cried. He sat down on a bale of hay and his shoulders slumped forward. Mulan and Chien-Po sat on either side of him, grimacing.

"Ling, don't worry so much. She will be fine," Chien-Po patted him on the back.

"I hope so,"

-------------

"Can you pass me another blanket?" Shang asked Fung, who tossed one at him.

"You'd think she'd thaw out in this afternoon heat," Fung joked. Slowly, everyone turned their heads to him and glared at him.

"Okay, I take it you're not ready jokes," Fung said, getting up and slowly, backing out the tent.

Shang removed the girl's shoes and socks and grimaced at her black toenails. He rubbed her feet and then wrapped them with the blanket. By now, she had been stripped to her undergarments and was lying in a thick layer of numerous blankets. Her pulse was still weak. Yao had given her some tea, but they had to pry her lips open to get some down.

"Will she last?" Yao asked Shang, who shrugged.

"I don't know," He said, brushing the remaining snow flakes from her forehead.

"I think she will," Tiao Zao said, from his seat on the floor. He was bandaging his own ankle with bandages, in an attempt to stop the pain.

"How do you know?" Yao asked. Even Shang looked puzzled.

"Come on, she's survived this long, in an ice cold climate. She's been buried in snow for, like, a day and she's still alive! She'll live; she just might be weak for a while,"

"The kid has a point," Mulan said, coming in, followed by Fung, Chien-Po and Ling. "How's she doing?" She sat down next to Shang and bent over to look at the girl's pale face.

"Not that much better," Shang said. He looked sadly at the girl and frowned at her uneven breathing.

Ling choked back tears. It was loud, everyone heard and everyone looked at him. "What's up man?" Mushu said, surfacing from Mulan's collar.

"Nothing," Ling's sullen reply was.

"Seriously, what's up?" Fung echoed.

"I'm just worried for her, that's all," Ling said, looking down at her pallid form.

Right on cue, the girl began to move slightly.

"I think all those blankets are restricting her movement," Mulan said. She peeled off half of the first layer of blankets and stared at the others. "How many did you put on?"

"Lots," Fung said, holding back his sniggers.

"It's best for her. She needs to regain her warmth," Shang explained.

"I guess," Mulan said, putting her arm around Tiao Zao, who had crawled over to her. Shang bit his lip and avoided looking at them.

"How long do you think it'll take for her to get better?" Mulan asked, after a few minutes of silence.

"A few days?" Fung estimated. "Yeah, probably about that,"

"Days?"

"Just under a week? I don't know," Fung shrugged. Mulan bit her lips, in an effort to stop yelling objections out loud. "Mulan, can you wait to see your father?"

Everyone turned to look at her. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I guess I'll have to,"

"You could go on your own," Chien-Po suggested.

"Actually, that might not be a good idea, you know," Ling put forward. "When she-," He jerked his head towards the girl. "-wakes up, she might want some female company,"

"_Trust Ling...always thinking of the girls..." _Mulan glared at his back._ "Don't be selfish Mulan! This poor girl has been buried in the snow...and has probably gone through some very traumatic times, so deal with it! So what if your meeting with your father is put off by a week or so? He'll still be there,"_ Mulan shook her head.

"Are you all right babes?" Mushu hissed in her ear. Mulan watched as Ling re-dressed the wound on the girl's arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine,"

"You worried about your father?" Mushu murmured.

"Is it that obvious?" She replied, chewing her thumb now.

"Is what obvious?" Fung said, looking up from the mass of heads that were engulfing the girl.

"Nothing," Mulan gave him a grin back and couldn't help frowning as Fung bent down to look at the girl again.

"Are you jealous because of all the attention that she's getting?" Mushu said, slithering out of her collar and perching on her shoulder.

"No, I'm not," Mulan said. Her tone was confident so Mushu had no reason to doubt what she had just said. "I just...don't want to be held up. I need to talk to my father...I don't want this anger he has at my mother to last any longer than I can help," She turned to the little red dragon, who was looking sympathetically at her.

"Don't worry so much, babe," Mushu patted her head. "It's going to be okay. We'll just wait for this chick here to wake up and then we'll be off to see your dad,"

"Won't she need time to recover? She was buried in snow for a day!" Mulan said, frantically.

"Yeah, probably. Come on babe, give her a week and a bit and then she'll be fine," Mushu grinned.

"All right, all right," She grinned back.

"Mulan, why are you talking to yourself?" Shang said, looking up from the girl. Mulan shoved Mushu back into her collar.

"I wasn't. I'm just going to see my tent," She got up, followed by Fung and Chien-Po.

"Yeah, I have to see if I left some stuff here too," Chien-Po's stomach rumbled. Everyone looked at him and held back their laughter. "Sorry..."

"Shang, you coming?" Mulan asked him.

"Oh...nah. I have to watch over her," He pointed to the girl.

"I thought you came with us because you needed to pick up some stuff," Mulan said, confused. Shang's face went bright red. Fung, who was standing behind Mulan with Chien-Po, quickly gestured for him to leave the tent.

"Oh yeah...that stuff! Yeah, I'll go get that now..." Shang stood up and left the tent at a run. Mulan watched him disappear into his tent, giggling.

--------

The girl stayed unconscious for the rest of the day and the night. Ling was constantly at her side, drawing sniggers, rumours and suspicions from the rest of the Gang and Mulan. No matter what the time was, Ling would be in tent, normally accompanied by Shang.

On the morning of the second day at Wu Zhong, the girl awoke, but she had never opened eyes, she just tossed, turned and whined softly. When she awoke, Ling was sitting next to her, with Shang.

Shang looked over at Ling, who was washing her cuts, and wondered for the millionth time why the man would never leave the girl's side.

"Hey, Ling," He said. Ling looked over, his arm still moving and still dabbing the cut with a wet cloth.

"Yeah?"

"I...sort of...have a question for you..."

"Well, is it a head or a heart question?" Ling asked, turning his attention back to the girl's cut.

"A what? 'A head or a heart question'?" Shang asked, confused.

"Yeah. Oh, it's just a thing my mother had with me. If I had to ask her something, she'd ask if it was a head or a heart question. Head questions are like... 'Mama, have you seen my hat?' or 'Mama, can I go over to Duan Jian's house' or 'Mama, do I have to wash the dishes today?'," Ling explained. Seeing Shang's raised eyebrow, he went on. "Head questions are practical ones. Heart questions are...mushy questions to do with life, love, fears and my growing up issues,"

"...okay," Shang said. "Okay...it's a heart question,"

"Shoot,"

"Do you like this girl?" Shang nodded to the sleeping girl.

Ling flushed and twisted the cloth in his hands. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been hanging around her all the time, changing her bandages every five minutes and making her tea. I figured you must care a lot for her or something...because..."

"I don't know Shang. The thing is," Ling looked down at her face and smiled. "I don't know why, it's just so easy just to sit here and watch her. I don't what it is about her that makes me never want to leave her...but I don't. I don't even know her name but I can't help but feel I know her already. She just...looks so peaceful and calm, despite her being unconscious," He stroked her hair. Shang smiled.

"I know what you're feeling," He said.

Ling looked up. "You do?"

"Yeah...I actually haven't told this to anybody, but the night before last-"

Ling cut him off. "Which one was that?"

"The night before the banquet,"

"Do you mean the one when Mulan had her nightmare? When we_ tried_ to give you advice on how to tell her that you love her?" Ling sniggered. Shang frowned at the emphasis Ling had put on the word 'tried'.

"Yes. Well, later on that night, I went back into her room, just to see if she was doing okay..."

FLASHBACK (The night Mulan had her nightmare):

Shang couldn't sleep. The haunted look that was on Mulan's face when they had burst in, was right in front of his eyes every time he shut them, regardless of the fact that it had been well over two hours since she had woken everybody up.

Abandoning his plan to try and sleep, he rolled out of bed and pulled on a shirt. He left his room, padded down the corridor and let himself, quietly, into Mulan's room.

He looked over at her sleeping form and couldn't help but marvel at how calm she seemed. She had screaming her head off, and her face had been wearing a terrified look.

He sat down gently next to her on the bed and brushed the locks of hair, that were falling over her face, back behind her ears.

"_She is so beautiful...how could I never have noticed before? I've been lying to myself for so long...how could I not admit to myself that I love her?"_ He smiled.

END FLASHBACK

"Whoa..." A very moved Ling asked.

"Yeah. I mean...I shouldn't have been in there, but it really was worth it...just to look at her," Shang smiled at the memory.

"Whoa..." Ling repeated. "I didn't realise you were capable of such deep feelings...General," Ling sniggered. Shang threw a bundle of bandages and grinned.

"Leave it out. Well, I didn't know I could feel that sort of stuff either. I've only ever felt it twice. Once, with Mulan, obviously, and when I was twelve I had a crush on a girl called May-Lynn,"

"May-Lynn?!" A stunned, and slightly horrified, Ling cried, causing him to drop the wet cloth right on the girl's face. She whimpered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mean that really bitchy girl who kept insulting Mulan?"

"Yeah..." Shang's shoulders slumped and he gave a yawn. "How can you not be tired? You've been watching her all around the clock!"

Another small whimper came from the girl. They both looked over, Ling took away the cloth, to find the girl's eyes wide open, revealing glistening dark brown pools.

"She's up!" Ling said, excitedly.

The girl looked around and her gaze fell on Shang's sword. She opened her mouth and let out a piercing shriek.

"Holy crap!" Shang yelled. Ling quickly covered the girl's mouth and Shang pinned her arms down to the ground, as she had been waving them and kicking out wildly.

"What's going on?" Mulan said, running in.

"Who died?" Yao stupidly cried, running in after her, followed by Chien-Po, Fung and Tiao Zao.

Seeing all the other military men enter, with swords, the girl screamed again and kicked Ling in the stomach. The rest of the Gang dived forward.

Yao pinned her left leg down, as Chien-Po held her right. Tiao Zao got her right arm and Shang gripped her left arm. Ling held onto her head, keeping one hand over her mouth. Mulan bent over her and was shocked at the fury and fear that was in her eyes.

"Shh...shh..." She said, as if to a baby. "No one's going to hurt you..." She gave her a smile and the girl gradually calmed down.

"What's going on? Where's my family? Oh my god...Ju Hua! She's dead...she was burned alive..." The girl lay back down and broke into tears. Mulan moved past Ling and took the girl's hand.

"What's your name?" She asked her gently.

"Shui Jing," She said.

"That's a pretty name," Mulan gave her another smile. "'Crystal'?"

Shui Jing nodded. She looked around at the men and gave them a weak, watery smile. "Who is everyone?" She said, turning back to Mulan. Mulan seemed to be the only person she trusted, or was willing to talk to.

"Oh, I'm Mulan. This is Tiao Zao," She pointed at the little boy, who gave Shui Jing a wave. "This is Yao, this is Chien-Po and this is Loon Fung," They all smiled at her. "This is Li Shang," Shang nodded. "...and this is Ling,"

"Hi," Ling gave her a smile.

"I recognise your voice," Shui Jing said.

"Yeah...Ling's been sitting next to you ever we found you," Shang said, grinning.

"Since you found me? What? Where was I?" Shui Jing sat up sharply and clutched at Mulan. "What happened?"

"Shh..." Mulan sat down, cross-legged. The others followed her lead and sat down properly, instead of kneeling. "We found you about two days ago..." Mulan explained to Shui Jing about how they had found her, how they had taken her from the Pass to Wu Zhong and cared for her. Shui Jing stared blankly forward, taking in all the information. There was a long silence after Mulan had finished the story.

Tears started to stream down Shui Jing's cheeks, her eyes were red but she never made a sound. Ling crept forward, pushing past Mulan and he looked sympathetically at Shui Jing, who clutched at him and began weeping into his chest. Ling put his arms around her and laid his head on hers, made crooning noises and 'shh-ing' sounds.

Fung got up and left the tent, everyone else following. Ling watched them go, and when Mulan paused at the tent flap, he gave her a nod, which she returned and then left, the tent flap waving the slight breeze.

--------

"Pretty intense, huh?" Yao remarked.

"Give her some slack, Yao, she had just been buried alive. She's probably missing the 'Ju Hua' person," Shang said, pulling at some blades of grass.

The Gang, except Ling, with Mulan, Tiao Zao and Shang, were sitting under a tree, near to the cross of tents. They were sitting in a circle, Mulan and Yao leaning against the tree. Shang was sitting next to Mulan, Fung on his left, with Tiao Zao on his lap and Chien-Po was in between Yao and Fung. Shang was pulling out blades of grass and chewing them, as were Fung and Yao. Mulan was sitting with her arms crossed and Chien-Po was massaging his temples, in an effort to stop his head from throbbing.

"She said that this Ju Hua person was burned alive. What do you think happened?" Mulan put forward.

Shui Jing's village and Yong Yuan's house were on the other side of the Tung Shao Pass and as Shang, Mulan, Tiao Zao and the Gang hadn't passed the burned house and village, they didn't know what her scream had meant. No survivors had been left, except her, and it was in such a remote place in the Pass, far away _(A/N: far-ish away_) from the original Burned Village, no one had seen the wreckage and reported it to the Emperor.

"Maybe it was a Hun attack," Tiao Zao guessed. It was surprising how much the little boy had learnt about Huns, attacks and war, just from hanging out with the Gang and everyone.

"It might have been," Shang weighted out different possibilities in his head.

"We don't know any other enemies who burn places," Yao said.

"Mongols do," Fung said.

"What about the Japanese?" Tiao Zao asked. Shang shook his head.

"Japan hasn't attacked China for years. I wouldn't count them in, it's most likely a Hun attack," He said.

"How come we didn't see this burned village?" Mulan asked.

"There are only a handful of villages in the Pass, as it's such an...inhuman place to live. The sun hardly ever reaches there, you can't go crops and what have you. All it is is snow, snow and more snow," Fung said. "The Burned Village, which you found on your last visit to the Pass, is the largest. Most of them are small,"

"She can't have been a Burned Village survivor. She must be from a smaller village which was attacked by Huns," Yao said, thoughtfully. "I wonder why they haven't been going for others,"

"I don't know and to be frank, I don't care," Mulan said, running her fingers through her hair. "As long as they don't do it again, then that's fine,"

"Yeah, you're right," Yao agreed. "Do you think she's okay now? What was her name again?"

"Shui Jing," Chien-Po said. He rubbed his head. "I need something to drink. I'll go and check on the girl and she's whether she's okay after I've got myself some tea,"

"Oh yeah, Chien-Po?" Shang called over to the departing figure.

"Yeah?"

"Could you get me my biscuits? They're in my bag," He asked.

Everyone instantly looked at Mulan, who turned away, her cheeks going pink.

"Uh-oh..." Fung murmured.

"Shh..." Tiao Zao, jabbing his sharp little elbows into Fung's ribs, who winced.

"Well, this has been great. But, I've got to go use the Gents," Shang said, getting up.

"Actually, me too," Yao said.

"Guys! Look who's up!" Ling's cheery voice came from behind them. They all turned to see Shui Jing coming towards them, supported by Chien-Po and Ling. She was wearing one of Mulan's dresses as hers was drying out. Chien-Po had only got around to washing it an hour or so ago.

"Hey, you're up! That was a quick recovery," Mulan said, going over to her. Shui Jing gave her a small smile back. _"Very quick,"_ Mulan thought.

"How are you feeling?" Shang asked her, hopping up and down.

"I'm okay, I guess," Her quiet reply was.

"How come you're up?" Shang asked, still hopping up and down. Fung caught Mulan's eye and they both turned away, grinning.

"Not much to do in that tent,"

"Surely you need to rest?" Tiao Zao said.

"I've done plenty of resting. I need to move about a bit, I have really bad cramp," She jiggled her foot to prove her point.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," Ling said, taking her hand. However reluctant she was to leave Mulan, the only other girl, Shui Jing curled her fingers around Ling's and allowed herself to be led off. As soon as they had started walking, the whole Gang wolf-whistled. Ling's ears went red and his pace quickened. Shui Jing ignored it but her shoulders were shaking, she was laughing too.

"How come she's up?" Mulan said to the rest of them. They all shrugged.

"Maybe she feels better,"

"That was a quick recovery," Mulan said to Fung, the rest of them had gone off. "Do you reckon she's okay?"

"She might have just wanted to recover quickly. She might not have wanted to feel like an invalid, where people have to come and feed her, she might have wanted to get up, regardless of her true condition," Fung suggested.

"I guess. Do you think she's okay?" Mulan persisted.

"You just asked me," Fung said wearily. "Come on, I mean-,"

"URGH!!!!" Several voices yelled out loud.

Startled, Mulan and Fung whipped around and ran to where the noise had come from. Shang, Chien-Po, Yao and Tiao Zao came out of the toilets, a towel wrapped around each one of them. It wasn't enough to hide the liquid dripping down their legs.

Mulan and Fung took one look at them and burst into hysterical laughter. Shang and Chien-Po's frowns deepened and Tiao Zao and Yao went bright red and glared at them too.

"What's going on?" Ling said, running up, Shui Jing just behind them. She could run just as well as if she wasn't ill. Ling looked at Shang, Chien-Po, Yao and Tiao Zao's legs and began to laugh like crazy, Shui Jing following.

"Dude, did you wet yourself?" Mushu said, bobbing up from Mulan's collar and began to laugh at them as well.

"No! I have self-control, you know! Some bastard put some cloth over the seat and it sprayed everywhere," Shang snapped.

Mulan's stomach was hurting, she was laughing so hard. Tears were leaking out of Fung's eyes and Shui Jing was hanging onto Ling.

"Brilliant..." Mulan wheezed. "That was the funniest joke I've ever seen," She raised her hand and slapped Fung's in a high five.

"You did this?" An indignant Yao asked.

"Yeah, the day that you and Ling had that big argument," Fung gasped.

"You put it over the toilet, so it would spray everywhere?" Tiao Zao yelled.

"This is the second time that you've caught me with this stupid trick! I thought we agreed that we'd never do practical jokes again!" Shang yelled at Fung, who looked confused.

"When did I ever agree that?"

"After..." Shang's face went red. "The time when we were both five and I was scared at getting caught again...so I put my hand in..." Shang's voice trailed off again.

"Urgh..." Shui Jing said, but it wasn't heard over everyone else's laughter.

"You put your hand down the toilet?" Chien-Po choked.

"I'm not proud of it..." Shang quickly said. "It wasn't full anyway!"

"That's sick!" Tiao Zao said. "But funny," He added, as an afterthought.

"Okay, before we go onto discovering other disturbing habits about our weird General, I suggest you guys go wash up," Fung said, gesturing to their legs.

"Oh yeah..." Yao ran back into the toilets, closely followed by Chien-Po, Shang and Tiao Zao.

Mulan turned to Fung, who was still chuckling weakly. "Not bad for an afternoon's entertainment,"

"Yeah, it was good. We should do it again sometime,"

"Not the same one," Mulan said.

"No, not the same one, obviously," Fung said, dragging Mulan away from Ling and Shui Jing, who were about to go back on their walk. "What others could we do?"

Mulan grinned.

--------

Shang lay back in his tent, tired. He had been watching Shui Jing ever since they had found her and now that she was up, he was taking a well-earned break. Delighted at his absence, Ling had taken it upon himself to teach Shui Jing everything about himself and the rest of the Gang. Now, Shui Jing couldn't look at Shang without feeling sorry for him; she had heard from the Gang and Tiao Zao about his attempts to tell Mulan that he loved her. She decided to give him a hand in helping to tell her.

Yawning, Shang decided to get up and go get something to eat. It was the same day, but now evening, that Shui Jing had got up and, like Mulan, he couldn't figure out how she got well so fast. Mulan had confided in him earlier, saying that she didn't think that Shui Jing was well as she still walked with a limp and still seemed weak. Shang had to agree with her, Shui Jing still looked pale.

Pulling off his cape and tugging on his casual outfit, which happened to be exactly the same as the training outfit, Shang got up from his bed and stuck his head out the tent flap. Shui Jing was sitting under a tree, with Ling next to her, as usual. Judging by the noise from coming out of the eating tent, Mulan, Fung, Tiao Zao, Yao and Chien-Po were all inside. Shang slid his feet into his shoes and felt his feet submerge into a sticky, liquid substance.

"URGH!!" Shang yelled. Looking down, he could see a yellow liquid seeping out of his shoes and over his feet.

"What? What is it?" The Gang, Mulan, Tiao Zao and Shui Jing ran in.

"There's..." Shang looked down at his shoes in disgust and gently lifted his foot out, yellow, goopy, strands dripping down from his bare toes. "...soup in my shoes,"

Everyone, apart from Shang and Chien-Po, took one look at Shang's soup filled shoes and covered feet and burst into crazy laughter. Angry, and slightly appalled, Shang glared at them, as their laughter simmered down.

"What? How is it funny?" He snapped. He looked around at all of them, and noticed at once, that Fung looked guiltier than everyone else. "Did you do this Fung?" He asked, waving his foot around, sending soup everywhere.

"Why'd you ask me?" Fung demanded. "But...yeah...I did,"

"Why? You know I hate practical tricks! They're really mean and it makes everyone laugh at one person, not all together!" Shang yelled at Fung, who raised an eyebrow and looked indignant.

"Hey, it wasn't just me! Mulan gave me the idea, I just got the soup!" Fung said. "...oops," Mulan kicked his shin, hard. "Ow!"

"So much for the 'Don't-tell-on-each-other' plan," Mulan snapped.

Shang looked at her. "It was your idea?! Was the covering of the toilet, your idea too?"

"I am not going to lie to you, Shang. But, I am going to run away from you," Mulan said, before slipping out the tent and darting over to the paddock. She was surprised that no one had followed her.

She sat on the post of the paddock and whistled for Khan to come over. He came trotting over to her, his mouth moving in a chewing motion.

"Are you still eating? You're like Tiao Zao, but in horse form," She patted Khan's nose and giggled as he made a 'hrrmph' sound.

"'Sup babe?" Mushu said, coming out from Khan.

"How did you get there?" Mulan asked Mushu. "Where's Cri-Kee?"

"Lucky Bug's in your tent. He says he feels ill," Mushu said. "I think he ate too many of those biscuits,"

"I knew that some of them had gone!" Mulan said, narrowing her eyes at Mushu. "You ate my biscuits? What's wrong with you, you bottom-less pit?"

"You stole those biscuits from Shang. What's wrong with you, stealing from your secret crush," Mushu sniggered.

"Be quiet," Mulan said, giggling all the same.

"What did Lover Boy think when he found you had put soup in his shoes?"

"He didn't actually find out that it was me, Fung sold me out. He said it was my idea, which it was, and I did put the soup in his shoes, but Fung took the blame for that. We have this thing, whenever we get found out for a trick, I take the idea and he takes the actual setting up the trick for blame. It's a good idea,"

"Are you guys some sort of club? A Trick Club?" Mushu asked.

"Not so much, a club. More of a ... consortium," Mulan said.

"Isn't that just a fancy word for 'club'?" Mushu asked.

"Yeah...but The Consortium sounds so much cooler," Mulan said, shrugging.

"This Consortium...it's just you and Fung, right?"

"At the moment, I guess Tiao Zao will join soon," Mulan said.

"Ahh..."

"Anyway, I've been thinking. Now that Shui Jing is up, do you think they'll mind if we go to my father now?" Mulan asked him.

Mushu pulled a face. "I don't know. Everyone thinks she is still pretty weak, which she is." Mulan nodded at his statement. "So they might not want to move her around too much. By the way, how's she doing with Ling?"

Mulan grinned. "I think they like each other. They'll always going around with each other," She said.

"Hmm...Babes, why don't you go on your own? It'll probably be quicker anyway. She won't need any 'female company' as she's hanging out with Ling more than you, or anybody. Just go by yourself," Mushu suggested. Mulan's eyes lit up.

"That would be great," She grinned again. "Come on, let's go tell people now,"

--------

The following morning dawned bright and early. Shang woke up early, like he always did. Fung and Shang had been training or involved in army life and they had always been woken up early. Chien-Po used to lie-in all the time, but with his illness he had been waking up earlier every morning as headaches came frequently. Many a night, he didn't get to sleep a few hours before dawn.

Mulan had left the afternoon before, wanting to get home while it was still light. She had said that she would probably stay at home for the night and maybe the following day. Shang had been reluctant to let her go alone, he was still wary about Huns and he was worried about her. He began to regret confiding in Fung about his worries for Mulan's vulnerability to Huns and other enemies, but Fung had promised not to pass it on, which he hadn't...yet.

Crawling out of bed, Shang pulled on his clothes and left his tent. He was about to go into the eating tent, where he could hear the rest of them, when he heard hooves. Looking around, he saw Khan, with Mulan on top, coming over the bridge and going into the paddock. Puzzled at why she was here, Shang ran over to where she was.

Mulan was sliding off her horse, her face hidden in Khan's side. Mushu was perched on Khan's head, looking gloomy.

"Mulan?" Shang turned her around by her shoulders. She kept her face down. "Mulan, what is it? Where's your father? What happened?" A thousand more questions popped up in Shang's head but he kept them bottle down.

Mulan looked up. Her face was white but her cheeks were red. Her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes were red. As Shang looked down on her, the first tear trickled down her cheek.

"Mulan? What happened?" Shang asked her frantically.

Ignoring his questions, Mulan shook her head, a few more tears falling. Shang pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. She leaned her head against his chest and felt a tiny bit comforted by the steady beating of his heart.

The Gang, who had heard the hooves and immediately left the eating tent, was assembled a little while away from Shang and Mulan. Tiao Zao looked up at Fung.

"What's wrong with Mulan?" He asked him.

"I don't know," Fung replied.

_A/N: Another chapter done! I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes but it's late and I really can't be bothered to check. Thanks anyway!_


	13. Discovery

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Discovery**

_A/N: Wow look at all the reviews!!!_

_By the way, if any of the plot or characters in this story are in, any way, similar to yours, I'm not stealing them. I've thought of the characters and plot myself and I'm sorry but I can't help if they are similar to yours. Just checking... :D_

"What is it?" Shang asked her again, pulling away from her and looking down at her white face. No more tears had fallen after the five or six that had fallen at the start.

"Shock," She replied, twisting out of Shang's grip and walking off, to nowhere in particular.

Shang looked over at the Gang, Tiao Zao and Shui Jing for support. They all started blankly back at him and shrugged.

"Go after her!" Tiao Zao snapped. "Unless you want this to the tenth time that you've screwed up telling her?"

Shang glared at the little boy before stamping off after Mulan, taking his anger out on the ground. He had no idea where she had gone, so he spent five minutes wandering around Wu Zhong and the surrounding area before he admitted to himself that he had lost her.

"Damn it," He muttered to himself. He decided to go check the lake, where she would normally go when she wanted to think. Sure enough, as he pushed through some vegetation, he could see Mulan sitting at the water's edge, dangling her feet in the cool water.

"Hey," He said gently, sitting down next to her. She looked over at him and gave him a weak smile. "What's up? How come you came back so early?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," She said, turning her attention back to the water.

"Yeah, you do. You just don't know what to say," Shang said, again repeating what Fung had said. _"Oh god! Shang, you suck so much at talking, you have to take other people's phrases and use them over and over again,"_ He sighed.

"I don't. Seriously,"

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes,"

"Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, you know where you can find someone," Shang said. Mulan looked at him again and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry,"

"No...that's all right, I know what you mean," She bit her lip, her face still white.

"Mulan, what happened?" Shang persisted, a little more urgently now.

"I..."

FLASHBACK (When Mulan arrived home):

Mulan jumped off Khan and left him in the yard. Mushu scampered off Khan and followed Mulan up the yard, where she paused in the veranda.

"Quiet, isn't it?" Mushu said.

"I was going to say," She said, looking around. "But then, it's just my father at home. I think there's a limit to how much noise one man can make. Besides, he may be out in the garden. Or in the shrine," She said, pushing open the front door.

The hall was utter chaos. Pot plants, which usually stood in corners, were over-turned, soil covering the floor and leaves were scattered everywhere. Paintings were hanging off the walls, several bamboo screens that separated the hall from the rooms were ripped, furniture had been over-turned and shoes and various items of outdoor clothing that hung on the hall pegs lay on the ground, trampled.

"What the hell happened here?" Mushu said. Mulan didn't answer; the uneasy feeling that had started forming ever since she arrived in the yard was now growing.

Drawing her sword, she touched at the bamboo screen that cut the hall off from the lounge. The screen collapsed as her fingertips brushed against it, causing both Mulan and Mushu to jump backwards. Scared more than he would like to admit, Mushu scuttled up Mulan, to his normal resting place on her shoulder.

The lounge was fine. It looked as spotless as it usually did, the cushions that sat on the chairs were perfectly plumped, the rug lay in front of the chairs and the plants stood in their pots, untouched.

"Creeped out?" Mushu whispered.

"Just a bit," Mulan said, walking out the room, conscious that her back was turned to the room. She didn't want anyone jumping out at her.

"I can't hear anything," Mushu hissed.

"Yeah, I can't either. I don't think anyone's in the house," She said back.

"Do you think your father is in the garden?"

"I don't think he's here," Mulan said. "If he was, why is the hall like this?" She waved her sword around, to emphasize her point.

"Maybe he was angry at your mother," Mushu suggested.

"I don't think he would ransack the house," Mulan said.

"Babes, you didn't think that he would hit you. But he did. You don't think that he'll turn this place upside down, but he might have," Mushu said.

"Shut up," She sighed, walking out the hall and peering into the kitchen. Like the lounge, it was perfect.

"This is giving me the creeps," Mushu said, shivering.

"Yeah, same," She replied, leaving the kitchen and walking down the corridor which lead to the sleeping area of the house. After checking that her father wasn't in the garden, by looking out a nearby window, Mulan checked her parents' bedroom and found it empty as well.

"Why is it just the hall that's been affected?" She asked Mushu.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Mushu snapped.

"Sorry," She replied, pushing open the door to her bedroom.

This time, the room was a tip. Her bed sheets were lying on the floor, her desk was over-turned and her writing instruments were scattered on the floor.

Her father was lying on the floor, dead. He had a knife sticking out of his chest, his eyes had been gouged out, leaving black empty holes and his clothes were burnt. Blood was stained on what remained of his clothing, his legs were cut, one arm was broken at the elbow and the shoulder was twisted out of place.

Mulan took one look at him then pelted out the room, choking. The sight of her father, motionless and bloody, had stopped the air in her throat and she was having trouble breathing. It didn't help that Mushu had fainted at the sight, his limp body lying on her shoulder with his legs dangling off. She tried to stop in the veranda, to get her breath back, but her legs didn't stay still. She ran towards Khan, mounted him and galloped out the yard, wanting to put as much distance as she could between her father's body and herself.

She didn't stop riding until she reached Wu Zhong, safe for the moment while her conscience tortured her. Mushu had come around during the ride, but couldn't speak, like her.

END FLASHBACK

Shang didn't say anything. _"What am I meant to say to that?" _"Oh...I'm so sorry Mulan. I had no idea that something so terrible had happened. Are you all right?" He asked her, tenderly.

"I shouldn't have left him. But, I had to. I felt sick at the sight of him and I had to get away from there. I was running so hard, I was almost trying to run out of myself," She said, not looking at him. She wasn't crying but her face had gone pale again.

"You had too. Besides, how could you have brought him back?" Shang asked her, gently. _"Oh...she had Khan. Never mind,"_

"I don't know. Back then, I couldn't stand even the thought of touching him, but he's my father! How could I be scared of holding him?" She said, still not looking at him.

"I..." Shang was stuck again. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No...I don't really think there is anything you can do," Mulan said, twisting her hands.

"Are you sure?" Shang bent down to look at her face. She looked up at him and sighed.

"Yes," She replied, biting her lip. Shang put one arm around her shoulder and Mulan nuzzled into his body, feeling reassured by the warmth.

"Do you know what I did when my father died?" He asked her head. She pulled out of the embrace and looked at him.

"No. What?"

"I was crushed by his death. I had never felt so bad in my entire life. I looked up to my father as if he were some sort of God. He was my childhood hero and all I ever wanted to do was make him proud of me," Shang said, obviously in pain from all the memories. Mulan reached over and took his hand. Slightly startled, Shang looked at the two hands and smiled at her.

"I'm so sorry about your father," She said.

"It was the hardest thing to get over. I kept thinking things like, 'I'll never see him again'. It really hurt but I had been trained to hold all the emotions in, so I had too," Shang said, rubbing his temples. "But then, I started to think of all the good times I had had with him. It made the pain easier to get over,"

"I can't do that. It's too early and the image of him is too fresh in my mind," Mulan bit her lip again. "It's going to take a while,"

"You are taking it well, though," Shang remarked.

"It's easier to hide your feelings than to show them," Mulan said, getting up. "I'm going to my tent, I'm so sleepy," She yawned and Shang frowned. "What?"

"Never mind. Go and sleep, do you want me to save you some food?" He asked, standing up also and towering over her small frame. She shook her head.

"I'm not really very hungry, I think the shock of it all has affected my hunger," She started walking away before she turned back. "Shang?"

"Yeah?"

"If anyone asks about my father, just tell them what happened. I don't think I can again, having already explained it once," Her bottom lip wobbled. "By the way, how's Shui Jing?"

"She's fine," Shang answered, knowing that Mulan didn't care about Shui Jing at the moment; she was too wrapped up in her father's death and the mystery behind it and the attacker. Both Shang and Mulan had guessed it was Huns and Mulan had already put it down to Tao. She knew that it wasn't right of her to accuse him of something she wasn't sure he had done, but she was so angry at him for her mother's rape that she was ready to blame him for everything.

--------

"Babes?" Mushu said, looking up as Mulan entered the tent. She flopped down on the bed and leaned against a tent pole.

"Hmm?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Sick," She said truthfully, not looking at Mushu or Cri-Kee, who had recovered from his short illness and had heard about Mulan's father from Mushu. "I can't turn a corner without expecting to see a Hun about to jump out at me or an eye-less corpse of my father coming towards me," She bit her nails.

"Is that all?"

"What?" She snapped, suddenly angry. Seeing Mushu's sympathetic look, her anger melted away just as suddenly as it had come. "How do you mean?"

"Honey, when you were left alone in the Tung Shao Pass, you couldn't help crying because you had been left behind and that you felt you had disappointed yourself and dishonoured your family,"

"Hmm..." Mulan said, twisting her hair in her fingers, a habit she always did when she was avoiding questions or trying to look inconspicuous.

"Now..." Mushu continued. "...your father's been killed, in a really gruesome way if you don't mind me saying, and you're not showing any emotion. That's why I think you're not all right,"

"I'm not all right. How could I be?" Mulan hit her pillow. Her tone changed to a softer one and she gently smoothed the pillow out. "Shang told me that when I'm upset I try to bottle things up and try not to tell anyone that I'm upset," She looked over at Mushu. "I think it's because when I was younger...I was different from everyone else," She lapsed into silence.

"What else?"

"I was always alone. I didn't have many friends, if any, because they all thought I was strange. I would speak out whenever I wanted to, I'd play with boys because I wasn't interested in dolls and I wasn't...normal. So I had to play alone, always. They thought I was strange so parents didn't want their children mixing with me. I hid myself away from them and soon, I hid my emotions and feelings," Mulan said, sadly.

Mushu was slightly stunned. He hadn't realized what a sad childhood Mulan had had, despite having been a guardian and gong-ringer for most of his life. "Babes, I'm sorry. I had no idea..."

"That's all right. I soon got used to being myself and keeping everything to myself. I think it's dragged on to now, that's why I keep things hidden. The only way I can deal with things is by talking to myself and pretending it never happened. Talking to others doesn't help me, it just helps them understand what I'm worried about," She said, sighing. She turned a tortured face to Mushu. "It's hard to cry about it because I don't want to believe it and because I've hidden them away, crying would just show it,"

"You cried when you were captured by Tao," Mushu contradicted.

"I was drained then. I was crying because...I didn't believe it was happening. No one was there and I had no one to talk to," She said. "Then Tao talked to me. He made everything so much easier to bear,"

"He was a Hun,"

"I know he was, but he helped me so much. That's why he means so much to me," She said, then she frowned. "What am I talking about?" She snapped. "He raped my mother and killed my father! He doesn't mean anything to me, I hate him! I hate him!" She yelled, punching the pillow again.

"No you don't," Mushu said, watching Mulan beat the crap out of the pillow. "You just said that he means so much to you. You can't hate him,"

"Yes I can! Look at what he's done to me!" A distraught Mulan cried, turning her attention from the pillow to Mushu and a cowering Cri-Kee. "Look at what he's done to my family! What if he goes along and picks them off, one by one? First it was Mama and then it was Baba! What about Grandma? What if he doesn't stop there? What if he hurts everyone that I care for?" Mulan yelled, getting hysterical.

"Sweetie, calm down!" Mushu said, hopping onto her shoulder. "Try to rest before you get all worked up," He patted her head, jumped off her shoulder and pulled the cover back from her bed. She shook her head.

"I can't sleep. There's too much in my mind, I wouldn't be able to relax," She said, rubbing her temples.

Mushu looked sadly at her. "I'll leave you alone now," He and Cri-Kee scampered over to the tent flap, where Mushu turned back. "By the way, we think Ling and Shui Jing are falling in love with each other. When you're feeling better, come and give us a hand at squeezing it out of them. Shui Jing would talk to you, you are a girl after all," Mushu grinned and Mulan did too.

"Okay, I'll come," She got up and left the tent, Mushu and Cri-Kee back on her shoulder.

--------

When Mulan entered the eating tent, everyone looked up at her and fell silent. She rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing," She said, looking around at them. "I mean, it's not nothing, but I'd rather not talk about it," She smiled and sat down next to Fung.

"Are you sure?" Yao asked her, surprisingly gentle.

"I'll be fine. Well, its a big shock, but I'd rather not talk about it," She took a piece of chicken out of Fung's bowl and popped it into her mouth.

"Hey!" Fung cried in astonishment.

Mulan grinned at him, her cheeks bulging. She swallowed and looked at Tiao Zao, who had been crying. His eyes were red and she could see dried tears on his cheeks. "Are you all right, Little Flea?"

Tiao Zao shrugged.

Mulan looked at him sadly, guessing it was about her father. She and Tiao Zao were similar: he admired and looked up to his father and Mulan had been just the same. Both Mulan and Tiao Zao's role models were their fathers and they loved them immensely.

She looked around again at everyone. Fung looked tired and upset too. Yao looked the same as Fung, as did Chien-Po. Shang looked miserable but not so much upset. Mulan knew better; Shang was just like her as both of them tried to hide their feelings and one of them would always know when the other was upset or feeling sad. Both Mulan and Fung knew that no one in the Gang was better at coping with physical or emotional problems than Shang, however overcome by emotion he seemed.

Tiao Zao was clearly the most upset of everyone. His eyes were puffy and red, his cheeks had tear stains and his bottom lip was still trembling.

"Where's Ling and Shui Jing?" She asked. The Gang grinned.

"They went of for a walk," Yao said, starting to snigger. Mulan's face lit up.

"How are they doing?" She asked.

"Better," Shang grinned. He was taking an interest in Ling and Shui Jing just as much as the others since his own situation with Mulan was dead at the moment. "They spend all their time with each other now,"

"Is she still ill?"

"She is but she is recovering. Her cuts are still there and she has this massive scar down her cheek. It doesn't look too good," Fung said. "Otherwise, she's getting better,"

"She kept everyone up last night, screaming her head off," Yao said scornfully. Chien-Po elbowed him.

"Have some heart!" He snapped. "The poor girl's had a very traumatic time, what with being buried alive and the whole Hun invasion thing. She had a really bad nightmare and screamed. It woke everyone up,"

Mulan looked up sharply. "What?"

"Oh, last night Shui Jing told us about some Huns going into her village," Yao said. Mulan rose her eyebrows.

"You suck at explaining," She said.

"She said..." Chien-Po said.

FLASHBACK (Last night):

"When do you think Mulan will get home?" Tiao Zao asked Chien-Po.

Tiao Zao had joined the Gang a few hours ago and was to join the Consortium as soon as Mulan got back from her home. He had come up with a brilliant trick that could only be played in a building with high ceilings, so he and Fung were keeping it quiet until they returned to the palace.

The Gang and Shang were lounging around on the grass, next to the tree. Well, not all of them were lounging. Fung and Shang were sparring near them, both of them shirtless. Both of them were roughly equal in strength and their fight had been going on for several minutes. Yao and Tiao Zao were betting on who would win. Yao said Shang would, as he knew Shang was stronger, while Tiao Zao said Fung would. Tiao Zao's bet was more out of loyalty as he preferred Fung to Shang as Fung was a lot funnier and easy to laugh with, but he knew that Shang was slightly stronger.

Chien-Po was drinking tea. He was growing weaker every day but he was managing now to show it so much. The tea he was drinking was a special brew that had been given to him from the doctor in the Palace. It didn't help his illness but just relieved the pain to improve the quality of time he had left. He had guessed it was to be about another month before his time was up and he was trying his hardest to live his life to the fullest now.

Tiao Zao was lying on his back, staring at the clouds. He was trying to figure out the shapes in them and had already seen a dragon, that looked remarkably like Mushu, a flag and a sun. He was now looking at a cloud that looked like Mulan, which made him ask Chien-Po about her.

Chien-Po looked at the little boy over the rim of his teacup. "I don't know when. I don't think she'll come back today, she'll be tired and probably want to talk to her father for a while," He said, sipping his tea again.

"Hi everyone!" Ling said, coming over. As usual, Shui Jing was walking next to him, a smile on her face. She was feeling better, but she still looked bad. Her leg was still weak and Mulan's dress didn't cover all her cuts on her arms, as the sleeves stopped just below her elbows. _(A/N: Mulan's back in her training clothes but she keeps her hair down) _

"Hey!" They said back. Shui Jing sat down, wincing at the pain in her leg. Ling sat down next to her.

"Are you all right?" He asked her, worriedly. She gave him a smile.

"I'm fine, Ling. Stop worrying!" She playfully hit him.

Chien-Po looked at Yao and raised his eyebrows. Tiao Zao giggled. Both Ling and Shui Jing flushed.

"Shui Jing? Are you okay now?" Yao asked her.

"I'm okay, physically. I'm just....having problems getting used to all the changes in my life," She said, looking down at the ground. Ling's puzzled face showed that she hadn't talked to him about this topic either.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chien-Po asked her.

"I...a few days ago, I think, my youngest sister, Ju Hua, was spending the night at her friend's house, Yong Yuan's house," She paused. "In the morning, Mama told me to go and pick her up from Yong Yuan's house. Yong Yuan's family live quite far away from my village,"

"What village is that?" Chien-Po asked.

"Cun Zhuang Village. It's near the Tung Shao Pass and the Burned Village," She said. "I was walking towards the house, when I smelt smoke. I ran forward and..."

"What happened?" Yao pressed her.

"What's up?" Fung said, coming over.

"I won the fight!" Shang crowed, sitting down and wiping his face on a towel. His and Fung's chests were still bare and dripping in sweat.

"Yes! Give me the money!" Yao triumphantly said to Tiao Zao, who stuck his tongue out at him.

"Shush," Chien-Po said, giving both of them a 'this-is-not-the-time' look.

"Huh?" Fung said.

"Shui Jing's telling us about before she was buried in the snow," Chien-Po said.

"Oh right," Fung replied. "I was actually thinking of the money thing Yao said, but whatever..."

"Sorry," Shang said to Shui Jing, who gave him a small smile back.

"I went forward and I saw Yong Yuan's house on fire. I ran into the house and the heat was so intense that it was hard to breathe. I couldn't find anyone inside, so I ran out the back door," She went on.

_"She went into a burning building? What is she, crazy?"_ Tiao Zao thought.

The Gang and Shang were silent. None of them could stop the traumatic images from scrolling across their minds. Shui Jing's eyes were brimming over at the memory.

"I opened the back door to get out...and...I ran out, over two bodies. They were my sister and Yong Yuan. They were both burnt to the bone..." Shui Jing whispered. Tears fell down her cheeks. Ling put his arm around her. Had this been a different situation, the Gang and Shang would have sniggered or wolf-whistled but they weren't in the mood for jokes.

"Oh my god..." Chien-Po whispered to himself.

Holding a few tears back, Shui Jing went on. "I ran back to the village. When I got near there, I saw fighting. I saw big people fighting. Houses were on fire there...I think," She squeezed her eyes together and several tears seeped through. "I had to run away, but I was rooted to the spot for a moment. Then I ran. I couldn't see through all my tears so I fell over. I must have blacked out because I don't remember anything until someone picked me up. Then after that, the first thing I saw was Ling bending over me, re-arranging my blankets," Shui Jing said.

No one said anything for a while. No one knew what to say, they knew that whatever they did say wouldn't ease the pain she was going through.

"I'm so sorry," Shang said. "I've lost my father and that pain was the worst I've ever felt,"

"You've never lost your whole family at once, have you?" Shui Jing said bitterly, through the floods of tears that were flowing down her cheeks.

Shang shook his head and bent his head. Tiao Zao choked back his own tears. Since joining the Gang, he had been dealing with a lot of issues that his father had never given him details on, such as rape, the love you feel for a girl, massacres and death in general. He was glad he had learnt this at an early age as he was to be the Emperor of China.

"_Oh...wait a minute. I won't be the Emperor, will I? It'll go to Uncle Tao, as he's the eldest son of Grandpa. So, that means Mulan's step-sibling will be the Emperor or Empress instead of Baba and me!"_ Tiao Zao scowled, distracted from Shui Jing's story. _"Damn it!"_

The others gave words of comfort to Shui Jing. She took them all in, but they didn't mean much to her. The only person she could relate to was Shang, as the others hadn't lost any of their family.

END FLASHBACK

"Oh my god...Poor Shui Jing. I had no idea that something like that had happened," Mulan shivered slightly. _"Was Tao behind this as well?" _She thought. "Why didn't we pass the village?"

"It must have been on the other side of the Pass," Fung said.

Mulan nodded. How many more Hun attacks was she going have to bear until they stopped? She began to worry for her grandmother.

"I want to go to the Imperial City," She said. "I want to check up on my grandmother,"

Shang looked up. "What about your father?"

"I'll get the Emperor to send someone there. I can't see him again, I can't," She said.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Shang said. Mulan nodded.

_A/N: Another chapter finished! I'm sorry for the delay on this one, but I had run out of ideas. It wasn't very long either but I'm going to make the next one extra long...so please review anyway!_


	14. Minhae

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Minhae **

_A/N: I haven't updated for weeks! I'm sorry but I had good reasons…I think. First, I had no ideas for how the story was going to continue, I had no energy or enthusiasm to write and I had too much homework. :D Thank you to everyone who reviewed, read the story and/or waited for this chapter. Thanks!_

_By the way, I have dedicated (and named :D) a character in this story to one of my friends, who is leaving my school this Christmas. I am going to miss her a lot and I hope that this way I can still remember her. (Yeah, I'll email her and wot-not but this is a symbolic way!) _

"Hey! How can we go back? I'm supposed to meet Minhae!" Yao protested, glaring at Mulan. She raised her eyebrows.

"Who the hell is Minhae?" Tiao Zao asked, irritably.

"My betrothed," Yao answered. Off everybody's looks, he added, "Oh yeah, the Emperor gave me some details about her before we set off to Mulan's house,"

"Hmm…" Ling said. "I was actually thinking of what Mulan's going to do," He turned to her.

"What?" She said, propping her face up on her elbows. "You know what I want, I just said it. I want to go back tosee my grandmother," She said, an air of stubbornness around her.

"Why don't we split up?" Shui Jing suggested. She and Ling had entered the tent just after Chien-Po had finished her story.

They all turned to her and she blushed. Ling jumped in to save her. "Why doesn't Yao and some others go to his betrothed, to meet her, then Mulan, you can go back to the Imperial City,"

"Okay, sure, that works for me," She said.

"Shall I come with you?" Shang asked her, politely. She looked at him, considering.

"Sure," She said, sounding uncertain. Everyone noticed she didn't sound too happy about Shang accompanying her to the Imperial City, but none of them had any idea why. Their doubts were confirmed when she got up and hurried out the tent.

Shang frowned after her and sighed. "What have I done now?" He asked, angrily. "I give her all the comfort I can and she throws everything back in my face! I try to help her through this pain and she doesn't even want me to go with her!" Shang snapped, banging his fist on the table. It cracked slightly.

"Oi!" Mushu said from his shoulder. "Keep it down, otherwise she'll hear. There's bound to be a good explanation to why she didn't want you to come with her. She just doesn't reject or hate people for no good reason,"

Shang scowled at the little dragon, wondering whether he should pound his head in.

"He's got a point, Shang," Chien-Po said. "Fung, go talk to her," He said, turning to the silent man.

"What? Why me?" He protested.

"You know her best," Chien-Po went on. He looked at Shang out of the corner of his eye and sighed. Shang was miserably staring at the crack in the table.

He knew that Mulan was so much closer to Fung, even Tiao Zao, more than him. _"It's probably because I feel so much more for her than friendship," _He glumly thought. _"Every time I try to get her to open up, properly, she closes off and hides behind a wall,"_

"When do you have to meet Minhae?" Shui Jing asked Yao. She had almost fully recovered but still had a limp.

"This week," He answered.

"Can't you wait?" Ling asked him. Yao scowled at him.

"Nuh-uh. Well, I can, but I don't really want to," He said, matter-of-factly.

-----

In the end, Yao left for the village next to Mulan's to see Minhae, accompanied by Chien-Po, Ling and Shui-Jing. After seeing them off, Mulan decided to leave in a few hours for the Imperial City with Shang, Fung and Tiao Zao. Shang wasn't too happy at going with them, especially since Mulan didn't seem particularly pleased that he was coming along. Fung and Tiao Zao had already talked about it and had no idea why she was suddenly against Shang, so they decided to get it out of her during the journey.

Shang was still angry at her not wanting him to come and slightly at Fung. He knew that Fung knew Mulan a lot better, despite having known her for about half the time Shang had. _"Come on, you knew her as Ping…she was different then,"_ He thought as he readied his horse. _"She was different from the other recruits though…something about her made her stand out,"_ Shang angrily hit the horse. The horse head butted him. "Stupid horse," He growled before leaving the stable, pulling the reluctant horse along behind him.

Fung and Tiao Zao were running around the camp, as Tiao Zao had stolen Fung's shoes. Bare-footed, Fung ran after Tiao Zao, yelling. Tiao Zao was laughing like crazy, his laughter echoed around the silent camp.

They both stopped when Shang and the horse came into view. Fung snatched his shoes back from Tiao Zao's limp hand.

"What are you doing?" Tiao Zao asked.

"I thought we were going to the Imperial City," Shang said, puzzled. Tiao Zao sniggered.

"We are, but later. We're not going for a few hours or so," Fung replied. Shang sighed and let the horse go. The horse, relieved to be away from Shang, galloped back into the paddock, to where Khan swished his tail in his face. They weren't the best of friends.

Shang sat down and leaned against a tree. Fung sat opposite him and Tiao Zao lay sprawled on the grass, behind him.

"What's up?"

"You know what's up," Shang said shortly.

"Don't let it get to you," Fung said sharply. "You're acting like a kid over something that hasn't happened, and probably won't!"

"'Not happened'?" Shang repeated, disbelievingly. "You were there when she said that I could come along, but she didn't want me to!"

"So why are you going?" Fung snapped. "You could have gone with Yao to meet Minhae!"

"Because!" Shang snapped back. His forehead creased and his tone dropped. "…it hurts to be away from her. Even if she's mad at me, for whatever reason, I still like being around her,"

"Snap out of it!" Fung said. "It's good that you want to be around her but stop obsessing over her! She's a woman, with her own feelings and ideas,"

"I know!" Shang snapped, his soft tone now gone.

"This is Mulan were talking about! She doesn't want to be like all the other girls her age, dressing up for the matchmakers and all that palaver. She won't want someone fussing continuously over her. It'll just start to piss her off. So control your feelings for a while, find out what's up with her and above all, stop trying to tell her!"

"What the hell? You've been encouraging me to tell her ever since you first came to Wu Zhong!" Shang protested.

"I know that, which I shouldn't have done. Just leave it, it'll come by itself. Forcing it out of you will just screw it up and make it sound fake. Just drop it until the best time comes," Fung replied, getting up and walking off.

Shang glared at his retreating back but had to admit that his best friend was making a lot of sense. Tiao Zao rolled over from his back and looked at Shang thoughtfully.

"Fung's right, Shang," Tiao Zao said.

"I know he is," Shang said, curtly. "I'm going to my tent. Give me a yell when we're going,"

-----

Shang clambered smoothly onto his horse and watched as Mulan gave Tiao Zao a leg up onto Khan. She seemed to be a better mood than she was before, but whenever their eyes would lock, she would look away.

"_Does she think that she'll die if she keeps eye contact with me for more than five seconds?"_ Shang thought bitterly as Fung came up beside him.

"How are you holding?" He asked him, as Khan trotted over the bridge, Fung and Shang's horses following. When Shang didn't answer, Fung guessed whether he was doing okay or not. "Shang, just leave it. Tiao Zao, or I, will talk to her and find out what's up. Stop freaking out!"

"Freaking out? Who's freaking out? I'm not freaking out," Shang muttered to himself as Fung pulled ahead.

He watched as Fung trotted alongside Mulan and Tiao Zao. He felt slightly isolated; Mulan, Fung and Tiao Zao got on really well with each other and always had plenty to talk about. Fung was his best friend and he couldn't help but feel slightly upset that he had no one to talk to.

"_God, Shang, you sound like a five-year old, crying because he has no one to play with!"_ He scornfully thought. _"Fung's right, you are freaking out because of Mulan. Well, stuff her, I'll damn well ignore her until he figures out what's up with her and then I'll see what her problem is with me," _Within seconds, the love that he was towards Mulan was slowly turning to anger. He began calling her as many bad names as he could think of.

"You know, she wouldn't be too happy if she heard you calling her 'wench' or 'wench's daughter'," A voice said.

"ARGGH!" Shang yelled. Mulan and Fung stopped their horses immediately and all three of them turned to a horrified Shang. He was sitting on his horse, leaning back from the horse's head. The horse, slightly scared out by the yelling, began to spaz out, kicking and throwing his head from side to side. _(A/N: I have no idea whether horses do that when their scared, but go with me)_

"What?" Mulan cried.

"What?" Tiao Zao yelled at the same time.

"What the hell? Am I that scary?" Mushu snapped, popping up from where he was seated on Shang's horse's forehead.

"Oh god, Mushu!" Shang said weakly. "What the hell are you doing there? You scared the crap out of me!"

"I gathered," Mushu said calmly. "Rather a girlie scream, huh?" He dug his elbows into Shang's ribs to receive a glare.

"What happened?" Mulan said, riding up to Shang, worry and concern in her eyes.

"Nothing," Shang said sullenly, the words _'…I'll damn well ignore her until he figures out what's up with her…" _scrolling through his mind. Mulan raised her eyebrows while Tiao Zao sniggered.

"Well, if you're sure…" She said uncertainly. She looked away from him before pulling Khan away from Shang's horse and up next to Fung. Fung looked at Shang in concern and was surprised to get a frown in return. Shrugging, he turned his horse around and they set off again.

As soon as Mulan, Tiao Zao and Fung were out of earshot, an angry Mushu turned to Shang.

"Why the hell are you calling her a wench?" He demanded. Shang didn't answer. "What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you liked Mulan!"

"I never said I didn't, did I? She was just ignoring me and…" Shang sighed.

"Are you taking your anger out on her, because she ignored you?!" Mushu said, incredulously. "Are you crazy?! You're acting like a spoilt child!"

"I have my reasons," He muttered under his breath.

"Mulan will have her reasons also!" Mushu glared at Shang. "I'm not going to watch you be horrible to my little baby, you better snap out of whatever state you're in and get your act together!"

"_He sounds like a father, lecturing his son,"_ Shang thought scornfully. Out loud, he said, "Why's she angry at me?"

"For god's sake!" Mushu whacked Shang on the arm. It didn't hurt, obviously, but Shang glared down at the little dragon. Mushu didn't seem put off by the glare but, surprisingly, seemed happy that Shang was now paying some attention to him. "She's had a pretty bad fortnight! First, she was kidnapped. She meets Tao, the Emperor's son and who is in love with her-" Shang winced at the words, ", then her mother's found pregnant and her father's just been killed. Give her a bit of sympathy!"

Shang bit his lip. The fortnight and a few days' _(A/N: I'm not sure if a fortnight's gone by, but let's just say it has) _events had registered in his mind but he had never paid that much attention to them. Blinded by his sudden anger towards Mulan, he had clean forgotten about everything except how mad he was at her. The sudden flame of rage towards her died down as quickly as it had come.

"You're right. Oh god, I've been so stupid!" Shang hit his forehead with his palm.

"No, you haven't," Mushu said sympathetically. Off Shang's look, Mushu added, "ok, you have been pretty much a jerk, but I'll let you off,"

"Cheers," Shang grinned. Mushu smiled back, red stains on his teeth. "Urgh…Mushu! When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

"Um…" Mushu looked genuinely confused. "It must have been when Mulan was first in Wu Zhong,"

Shang stared in disbelief. "That's about four weeks ago!"

Mushu shrugged. "So what?"

Shang pulled a face. "You're disgusting, you know?"

"Shang, you put your hand down the toilet. If that isn't disgusting, I don't know what-!" Mushu toppled off the horse and landed in the dirt. Sitting up, he glared at the back of Shang's horse as he galloped away. "Jerk,"

-----

That night, Yao, Ling, Chien-Po and Shui Jing stayed in a nearby inn. Shui Jing stayed by herself in a room where she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Yao was too worked-up to sleep, he lay in his bed, tossing and turning. Chien-Po and Ling shared a room with him, and both of them were getting annoyed by their friend's continuous rolling around.

"Oi!" Ling snapped after five minutes of listening to Yao. "Is the bed uncomfortable?"

Yao sat up. He looked puzzled. "No, why?"

"So why can't you stay still?" Ling demanded, also sitting up.

Chien-Po groaned and massaged his temples. "Guys, please try to keep it down. My head really hurts and your arguing isn't helping!"

"Sorry," Both Yao and Ling said. Ling lay down again, but Yao leaned against the headrest, deliberately keeping himself awake.

"Yao, what is your problem?" Ling snapped.

"Nothing. Well, I mean…I'm going to meet my fiancée tomorrow. What if she doesn't like me? What is she thinks I'm too stupid, too fat or too short?"

Ling sat up again, rearranging the pillows behind his head so he could lean against them. "What?" He asked, doubtfully.

"I'm worried,"

"Come on, it's not such a big deal. So what if she doesn't like you? She has to marry you, she's got no choice. The Emperor matched you," Ling replied. Yao drew a shaky breath.

Chien-Po looked over at them and then sat up also. "What's wrong Yao?"

"To state the obvious, he's scared about having to meet Minhae tomorrow," Ling said.

"Don't be Yao. Just be yourself," Chien-Po encouraged him.

"Come on, I want to be in with half a chance," Yao scornfully said. Chien-Po raised his eyebrows.

"Yao, just leave it. If she has any sense at all then…" Ling stopped talking and began to snigger.

"What?" Both Yao and Chien-Po asked.

"I think we've all been hanging around Mulan too long. You used to just want a girl who admired you, that's all and look at you now! You're all freaked out that she won't like you!" Ling sniggered again. Chien-Po turned to Yao, who looked baffled.

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" Chien-Po said.

Ling stopped laughing. "I mean…well…I don't know!"

"I don't want her just to a pretty girl. Well, yeah, she needs to be pretty but I want her to have a personality also. If she just stood there, silent and pouring tea, she…I wouldn't be attracted to her," Yao said.

Chien-Po smiled. "That's nice Yao. You're finally looking beyond the face and at the person,"

"I guess," Yao said.

"By the way, while we're on the subject of women, I want to ask Shui Jing to marry me!" Ling said suddenly. Yao and Chien-Po turned to him, both of them gaping at him.

"What?!" They both gasped.

"…why's it such a big deal?"

"You've known her for about… under a week!" Chien-Po protested. "Isn't it a little early?"

"I'm not going to ask her right now!" Ling said. "I'll ask her later. Well, after I've asked her parents,"

"Ling? Her parents were killed in the Hun attack," Yao said.

"Her mother was," Ling interrupted. "Her father, who works in the Imperial City, wasn't, so I'll ask him,"

"Really?" Yao said, one eyebrow raised.

"Look, I know you guys think I'm too dense to appreciate…like proper feelings but…I love her. I really do, she makes me feel happy whenever I'm with her. I really miss her when I'm not next to her," Ling said.

"I didn't know you were capable of such strong feelings, Ling," Yao sniggered. Ling ignored him.

"I'm happy for you, Ling. It's good that you've fallen in love," Chien-Po stated, no emotion whatsoever. He looked…blank.

"Gee, you're so enthusiastic," Ling said, sarcastically.

"I mean…I'm never going to feel that sort of stuff, am I?" Chien-Po choked back a few tears. A lot of emotions had been brewing inside him, ever since his illness, and he was prone to cry, laugh or fly into a temper very easily nowadays.

"What do you mean?" Yao asked, gently.

"This illness, it's going to kill me before I ever feel that," Chien-Po stated.

"You don't know. You might meet someone,"

"In under a fortnight?" Chien-Po snapped.

"Two weeks?!" Ling cried.

"I thought you had, like a month!" Yao protested. "A month is four weeks!"

"What's the difference? I have about three weeks left, which means in two weeks, I will hardly be able to walk around, let alone find someone, fall in love and get married!" Chien-Po snapped again.

"It's possible…" Ling mumbled, more to himself. Chien-Po looked over at him.

"Don't let it bother you. If I'm lucky, I'll go without pain. I guess…that's all I can hope for; a good and peaceful way to go,"

"No, you can still hope for a cure," Yao said, stubbornly.

"I don't think there is one. I'm not going to be able to stand the pain within three weeks, I much rather just go,"

"What else can you hope for?" Ling asked. "What would you want, if you weren't ill?"

Chien-Po smiled to himself. "I'd go into the spiritual profession. You know, chants and maybe become some sort of monk,"

"A monk?" Yao said, scornfully.

Ignoring him, Chien-Po went on, "I'd get married to a beautiful girl…who can cook and who I loved, and in turn, she loved me. We'd have three children…two boys and a girl. I'd name one of the boys after myself and I'd let my wife choose the other names," He smiled, again, to himself. "I'd watch them grow older…they'd have children and I'd see all my grandchildren grow over five years of age and then I'd go," He looked over at Ling and Yao.

"Wow…" Ling said. "I didn't realise you had that much of your life planned out,"

"Well…they're just shattered dreams now. I'll never manage any of them, it'd be best for me to forget them," Chien-Po said, flatly. Something in his voice showed that the conversation had ended and both Yao and Ling did nothing to start it up again. All three of them pulled the covers over themselves and fell asleep.

-----

While Chien-Po, Yao and Ling lay in their beds talking, Fung and everyone were setting up camp.

They were going through the Tung Shao Pass _(A/N: I don't know if the amount of time and distance match each other but I don't really mind. Go with me)_ when Tiao Zao fell asleep in front of Mulan. He was about to topple off Khan when Mulan noticed he was slipping about and caught him.

"Fung!" She yelled up to him, where he was riding with a silent Shang.

They both stopped, but only one turned to look at her. Mulan noticed this and frowned. "What?" Fung called back.

"I think we should stop here," She said, trotting up to them. Again, Shang did not look at her. She glared at him, but he did not notice. Fung did, however, and decided to have a word with both of them.

"Why?"

Mulan gestured to the sleeping Tiao Zao. "He needs to sleep,"

"He can sleep on the horse, can't he?" Shang snapped. Mulan glared at him and he turned away. Fung rolled his eyes, and if Tiao Zao had been awake, he would have done the same.

"It's not good for him," Mulan snapped back.

Fung decided to intervene before Shang could say anything back. "Okay, let's just get a little further to get out of the Pass and then we'll set up camp," He looked at Mulan, then to Shang and then back to Mulan. "Okay?"

"That's fine," She said. Shang didn't answer, he didn't even nod. Mulan clenched her teeth and held back anything she wanted to tell at him.

"_Idiot. The pompous, spoilt, arrogant, self-centred jerk,"_ She muttered as she followed Fung out of the Pass. _"I wish you'd go away,"_

-----

Mulan sat in Tiao Zao's tent, watching the little boy sleep. She smiled at him, the way a mother would, and stroked his hair. Fung strode his head in, demanding to talk to her.

"Okay, okay!" Mulan said, getting up and leaving the tent with him. Shang was inside his own tent, the candle glowed brightly through the material walls.

Fung sat her down in front of the fire and watched as the flickering flames danced in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked. Mulan looked at him. "In fact, don't answer that question. What's going on between you and Shang? If looks could kill, you'd both be dead," Fung said. _"What a lame sentence," _He thought. _"Oh well, who cares, I've said it now,"_

"I don't know why he's mad at me," She said slowly. "I don't even know if he's mad at me," She ran her finger along the ground, dirt collecting on her fingertip. "I just…"

"What?" He pressed her gently.

"My father's death was a shock. I still can't really believe that it's happening. Well, that it happened," She paused. "It made me realise…how much it hurts when someone you love goes away," She looked up at Fung.

"What do you mean?"

"I loved my father more than anyone else in the world. His death…hurts. I don't want to love anyone now…after his death…because everyone I love goes away," She turned way from Fung and bit her lip. "Everyone goes away…no one can stay with me forever, they'll either go on with their lives or die. It hurts too much when someone you love goes away, so if I don't love anyone; it won't hurt when they go,"

Fung had no idea what to say. They sat in silence before Fung opened his mouth. "What about people you don't love? What if they go away? Will you be hurt then?"

"I'll be hurt, but not as much," She replied. Her tone was sad and her hair was hanging in front of her face, hiding it.

"Is this why you've been avoiding Shang?"

"Trying. If I don't see him, or I just steer clear of him, then I won't be hurt when he leaves. I don't want to be hurt when he leaves…"

"_Did she just say that she loves Shang?"_ Fung thought, triumphantly. He grinned widely. "Mulan, he won't leave,"

"He will when he goes and starts his own family. You'll get married, Ling will probably marry Shui Jing, Yao's already betrothed…and Chien-Po…well, he won't get much of a chance," She said quietly.

"What about you?"

"I won't get married. My name is mud, I've done so much to dishonour my family, so much that no one will ever marry me. My father's dead, my mother's pregnant with the Emperor's son's baby and I dressed up as a man, ran off to the army and learnt to fight," Her voice stopped.

"Mulan, you can't stay away from people forever. You can't help loving people, you can't control it. Not everyone is going to leave you, you're still going to have friends and Mushu will stay with you. He's your guardian after all," Fung said.

"I…" Her voice faltered. "I…don't want to be hurt again,"

"You'll be hurt without everyone's presence. You'll feel empty, isolated and you'll alone….for the rest of your life," He looked at her, as her turned her face to the fire again. "Do you want that? Do you want to be alone forever?"

She didn't answer, but her head moved very slightly, from side to side. It was a small action but Fung noticed it.

"Do you want to let go of everything you have? Everything you like? Everything you love?" Fung went on. "Everyone you love?" He paused again. "Could you let it all go?"

Mulan didn't say anything, but Fung could see her shoulders shaking. He guessed she was starting to cry but he went on, without comforting her. He knew it would be better for him to say everything that he wanted to and then leave her alone to comfort herself.

"Or would you let everyone let you go? Erasing you from their memory…until you were gone from them. You'd be a blank memory…gone…lost…and forever," He said.

Mulan didn't look up but the tears had stopped. Fung stood up and went into his tent, leaving her sitting there, in front of the fire.

-----

"Okay…here goes," Yao cleared his throat and looked at Ling, Shui Jing and Chien-Po. They were sitting on a bench behind Yao.

"Go on," Chien-Po urged.

"Just get it over with," Ling snapped.

"Be yourself," Shui Jing added.

"Okay…" Yao said, before knocking on the door. He heard quick footsteps run to the door and it was opened by a tall woman. She had long black hair, fat lips, a large nose and she was rather fat. Yao gaped.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

Yao didn't answer, his mouth was fully open. Chien-Po and everyone hurried up behind him.

"Yes, is Minhae in?" Chien-Po asked, politely.

"Yes, she is. Who are you and how do you know my mistress?" The woman demanded.

"My name is Yao," Yao said, pushing in front of Chien-Po. He was very relieved that the woman was not his fiancée. "I am your mistress's betrothed; I believe the Emperor matched us a few weeks ago,"

"Humph," The woman snorted. Shui Jing cringed. "Come in," She rasped, turning around and entering the house. Yao turned a horrified face to the others.

"She's the worst maid I've ever seen, looks and personality," Ling commented. Shui Jing elbowed him.

"Come on you guys! I need some moral support, please come with me!" Yao pleaded.

"We can't. Well, not all of us," Chien-Po said, looking around. "Shui Jing, you better. She'll need some…girl support, if you know what I mean,"

"Who, Minhae?" Shui Jing asked. Chien-Po nodded. "Okay, sure,"

"I think it'd better if only two people went in," Chien-Po went on. "Ling, you'd just take the piss out of Yao, eat all the food or be rude to Minhae. You'd better stay outside,"

"Great…" Ling muttered.

-----

"Aren't you hungry Mulan?" Tiao Zao asked as he watched Mulan stare at her piece of morning bread. Shang looked up from his piece of fruit and looked at her with concern. She met his gaze before he turned away from her, the concern disappearing and being replaced by scorn.

"No," She answered. Fung did not look at her, he knew perfectly well why she was acting this way.

"What's wrong?" Tiao Zao asked.

"Just thinking…"

"Of what?"

"_Damn you Flea. You and you're bloody questions,"_ Mulan thought. "My father," She answered, knowing it was the only answer that would shut Tiao Zao up.

"Oh right. I'm sorry," He said, sadly.

Knowing that she had hurt his feelings, Mulan pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back, still knowing that something was wrong with her. He looked over at Fung, through Mulan's arms, to see him watching Shang, who was scratching words into the dirt. Tiao Zao couldn't read them from where he was.

"Come on, let's go," She said, standing up. Fung stood up after her, then Tiao Zao did. Shang put the fire out and saddled his horse slowly, watching to see if Mulan would grow impatient. She didn't however, she was preoccupied with what Fung said last night.

-----

"If you'd like to sit here, Madam Hwang and her daughter will be down in a minute," Another maid said, referring to the dining table. Yao and Shui Jing smiled, sitting down opposite each other.

"Oh god…" Yao muttered.

"Stop worrying," Shui Jing said. "You're going to be fine! Just be yourself, don't be rude, say thank you when she gives you tea, don't snort, eat with your mouth full, say rude jokes and remember to control your temper," Shui Jing went on.

"How the hell am I meant to remember all that?" Yao demanded.

Shui Jing shrugged. "Be nice to the mother as well,"

"She might be really ugly and mean!"

"That has nothing to do with it! You have to be nice to your in-laws,"

"I'm going to marry her anyway. Her parents have no say in it,"

"Yes, they do. They'll tell the Emperor if they approve of you. Madam Hwang and her family are well-known by the Emperor and throughout China, it'll be a great honour to marry their daughter," Shui Jing whispered, as they could hear footsteps on the stairs. "Okay, here they come. Remember everything I've just said," She hissed, standing up hurriedly. Yao quickly followed her as Madam Hwang swept into the room.

She was tall, slim and had piercing dark brown eyes. She was old, but had the faint remnants of prettiness. She was wearing a dark blue robe with a pale blue sash. She was wearing no make-up except eye-liner. It gave her eyes a dark rim, making her look sort of intimidating.

"Please sit," She said graciously. Yao and Shui Jing sat down, hurriedly, as Madam Hwang seated herself carefully. "My daughter will be downstairs in a minute," She smiled. "May I ask who your friend is?" She asked Yao about Shui Jing. Shui Jing obviously could not answer as women were not meant to talk in a man's presence. Madam Hwang's husband was away, so she was in charge of the house.

"This is Shui Jing," Yao said. "She is one of my close friends,"

"It's nice to meet you, Shui Jing," She smiled at Shui Jing.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Shui Jing replied. She took it that she could speak now as the woman had just spoken to her.

"Tell me, is your father working in the Palace?" Madam Hwang asked.

Shui Jing nodded. "Yes, he is," She kept her responses to a minimum; she didn't want to sound rude.

Then, the door opened and a young lady entered. She had black hair that bounced on her shoulders; penetrating dark brown eyes and her face had a glow about it. Her slim figure was covered by a red dress that fell past her feet. She smiled at Yao, who was staring.

"Ah, Minhae! Come in, have a seat,"

Minhae walked past Yao to sit next to him, on the last remaining side of the square table, opposite her mother and between Yao and Shui Jing.

"This is Yao, your betrothed," Madam Hwang said, gesturing to Yao, who had gone pink in the face. Minhae smiled at him.

"Hello," She said, awkwardly.

"_She's probably just as nervous as I am,"_ Yao thought. "Hello," He replied.

"This is Shui Jing," Madam Hwang went on. "She is one of Yao's greatest friends,"

"Hello Shui Jing," Minhae said, not as awkwardly.

"_Chien-Po was right. It was a good thing Shui Jing came in with me, she wasn't as nervous saying hello to Shui Jing as she was to me,"_ Yao thought.

"Hello," Shui Jing replied.

Three maids came in, two holding dishes on silver platters and one, holding a porcelain teapot. They placed them on the table and then left. Minhae took the big porcelain teapot and, under the watchful eye of her mother and Yao and the bored eye of Shui Jing, poured a cup of tea for Yao, then Shui Jing, her mother and then herself. Not a drop was split.

"Thank you," Yao said, smiling. Minhae nodded, but didn't smile. Yao sighed.

The rest of the meal, for Shui Jing and Minhae, was boring. Madam Hwang asked Yao lots of questions about himself, his family and his goals in life. Yao answered most of her questions truthfully, but he lied about his ambitions. Shui Jing knew very well that he wanted to do nothing during the rest of his life; Yao had said often enough that he wanted to lie around all day and have people work for him. So when Yao said that he wanted to help the poor and maybe go into preaching, Shui Jing snorted into her tea cup, making everyone look at her.

"I'm sorry, I had a cough in my throat," Shui Jing lied. Her blushing face was hidden by her hair but Yao could see her ears start to go red. He knew what she was laughing at and hurriedly went on to say that if he had a family, he'd devote all of his time to them. Shui Jing wanted to laugh at this too.

When the visit had finished, Yao and Shui Jing stood on the front doorstep, saying thank you and goobye to Madam Hwang and Minhae. Minhae had not spoken, ever, during the visit, and Yao was sorry for it.

"Thank you for the lovely dinner, Madam Hwang," Yao bowed to her. Madam Hwang nodded her head gracefully and Shui Jing smiled.

"It was a pleasure. I take it that you'll be visiting us again, soon?" She asked.

"If you'll have me," Yao replied.

"After you're married to my daughter, you'll be welcome in any Hwang house," She went on.

"That is a great honour," Yao said, bowing again. Shui Jing giggled quietly. Minhae noticed this and smiled at Yao's continous bowing as well.

"It was nice to meet you Shui Jing," Madam Hwang said as she and Yao went down the path. She turned back and smiled.

-----

"Fa Mulan, it's so nice to see you again," The Emperor said, smiling down at them.

It was the same evening _(A/N: Still no idea between time and distance. Again, go with me)_ and Mulan. Fung, Shang and Tiao Zao had arrived at the palace. Mulan and Tiao Zao got off Khan and they both ran into the palace, to find Mulan's grandmother. Fung took it upon himself to take Khan into the stables, as he knew Shang wouldn't.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Mulan said, bowing slightly. The Emperor found this unusual; Mulan was not a person who stuck to protocol.

"How come you are back so early? I thought you would stay with your father for a week or so," He said. Mulan's face sagged slightly.

"My father's dead," She stated. The Emperor's mouth fell open. Mulan avoided his gaze and looked around the empty throne room.

"When?" He asked, his face haggard.

"About two days ago. That's when I found him. I came here to check up on my grandmother," She said.

"Of course. You may go to her now," He replied, keeping his sadness hidden.

Mulan nodded and then ran out the throne room. The Emperor watched her leave and then looked at his grandson.

"Are you all right, Tiao Zao?" He asked. Tiao Zao shrugged. The Emperor sat back down on his chair and invited the little boy to come and sit on his lap. Tiao Zao sat and looked up at his grandfather.

"What are we going to do about Mulan's baba?" He asked him.

"He must be buried with all the honours of a veteran," The Emperor told him.

"What's a veteran?"

"It's an old soldier, general or warrior," The Emperor explained.

"Was Mulan's baba a warrior?"

"Mulan's father was a General,"

"Oh right,"

The Emperor leaned over and pulled a cord that was hanging next to him. It must have created a signal as two advisors walked in.

"Yes, Your Excellency?" They asked, bowing.

"I want you to both to go to the village of Fa Zhou and bring his body back here," The Emperor ordered. Neither of the advisors showed any emotion at the mention of a body, nor any confusion. They bowed, again and then left the room.

-----

Shang hung the saddle of his horse onto a hook and watched as Fung petted Khan.

"Fung?" He snapped. Fung turned around.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong with Mulan?" He asked.

"Do you mean what she's done to make you act like a jerk to her?" Fung snapped.

"I haven't been a jerk to her!" Shang protested. "…have I?"

Fung sat down on a bale of hay. Shang sat down, opposite him.

"She's had a lot of emotional stress, ever since her father died," Fung started.

"My father died and I didn't freak out," Shang said.

"Your father died in war. Her father was stabbed in cold blood," Fung went on.

"I guess," Shang said, grumpily. "It doesn't explain why she was pissed off at me,"

"She wasn't," Fung said, choosing his words slowly. "She…was having problems with her heart…sort of,"

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't want to feel anything for anybody," Fung said, still slowly.

Shang's face was confused. "What?"

_A/N: Not so much of a cliff-hanger, but still. I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter, but as I've explained I had a few problems. _

_I'd like to say thank you to my friend, Minhae, who gave me some ideas and who has really supported me during the writing of this story. Cheers!! :D_

_By the way, I bought Mulan 2 today, it's such a funny film. The storyline isn't bad, I guess, and the songs are funny! I like Mushu in this one just as much as I did in the first film, he's still got some reall good jokes. Shang's a little bit weird but still he's funny! I'd give it a 9.5/10 because the animation wasn't brilliant. I'd really recommend you to get it, its so funny!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm not advertising for people to buy Mulan 2, or anything, I'm just telling you what I think of it :D)_


	15. Reflections in the Water

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people. I've had the same disclaimer for several chapters now…heh heh_

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN – Reflections in the Water**

Dedicated to: _My best friend who left our school. I love you and I hope that you continue to read this story!_

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who had reviewed. The chapters are coming slowly now and I'm really sorry but we're broken up now for Christmas so I should be able to update more often._

_By the way, Quill of the Lark…thanks for your review but it is actually Baba. Two of my best friends are Chinese and in the Mandarin version of Chinese (which is what they use in Mulan) it's Baba, not Papa. I don't think Papa is even Chinese…thank you anyway!_

_By the way, in case people are wondering the Gang is made up of: Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, Fung, Tiao Zao and Shui Jing. Mulan and Shang are not part of the Gang. Thanks!_

Mulan watched the flames lick her father's body slowly. She didn't cry but gripped her mother's hand tightly. It had been awful. As soon as Mulan had entered her mother's room, her priorities instantly changed from wanting her mother to comfort her to wanting to comfort her mother.

FLASHBACK (When Mulan's mother and grandmother found out about Zhou's death):

"No…he can't have been," Mulan's mother wept. She was sitting on the floor, hanging onto the bedcovers. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Grandma Fa was sitting still in her chair. She was also crying, but not as much.

Grandma looked over at Mulan and smiled sadly. "I've seen a lot of death in my life, Mulan," Grandma Fa said, answering Mulan's un-spoken question. "In many ways, I've been prepared for it. It's not as big as shock as it would have been last year or so. No one lives forever,"

Mulan smiled at her grandmother's wise words. She looked at her mother who was still sobbing uncontrollably. She seemed to have forgotten how Zhou had lashed out at her and vowed that he never wanted to see her again.

"_Well…he won't now, will he?"_ Mulan thought sadly. She patted her mother's hand and clenched her teeth, to stop her own tears from falling.

"Where is he?" Her mother asked, looking up from the damp bedcover.

"The Emperor sent some men to pick him up," Mulan answered. Her mother nodded, took a deep breath and wiped her tears away on a handkerchief. Mulan looked over at her grandma, to see her wipe her eyes on her sleeve. Mulan smiled.

"I want to be there when he arrives," Mulan's mother said, standing up.

"Mama…he won't be here tonight. It's quite a journey to our house," Mulan replied. Ignoring her, her mother swept out the room.

"You take after her, you know," Grandma Fa said. "When you're distressed or upset, you ignore everyone and only listen to yourself,"

Mulan sighed. "What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," Her grandma replied. "There's going to be a funeral and then…who knows?"

"Will there be an investigation into his death?"

"I doubt it,"

"Grandma, he was stabbed! Mama was raped! They have to be connected in some way," Mulan protested. Her grandma narrowed her eyebrows.

"Mulan, are you accusing that Hun?"

"I'm not accusing anyone," Mulan snapped, but avoided her grandmother's penetrating gaze.

"Mulan, you don't even know if it's him," Her grandmother reasoned. "Don't blame him,"

"He raped Mama," Mulan snapped.

"I know he did. But you don't know if it was this Hun who killed your father. You don't even know if it was a Hun. It might have even been suicide," It was surprising how much Grandma Fa had learnt of Tao and the Huns, despite only having been in the Palace for a week or so. Fung and Tiao Zao had told her most of the information and Grandma Fa had figured out the rest of it.

"_Suicide? Baba would never do that…would he_?" Mulan thought. _"Did he feel that betrayed by Mama?" _"I don't know. I shouldn't blame Tao," Mulan said.

"But you still do," Grandma Fa stated.

"Hmm," Mulan said, avoiding the question.

"Stop avoiding the question!" Her grandmother snapped.

"I know I shouldn't…but he hurt Mama! Why shouldn't he hurt Baba? What about you?"

"I'm an old woman, Mulan. I'm not going to live forever. I might not survive the next five years. I'm not scared about dying,"

"I know," Mulan sighed again. "I don't want anything else to happen. I want-,"

"You're always wanting, child. Why don't you just use whatever evidence or material you have to find out the killer instead? You can't have everything in life so stop wanting and wishing,"

END FLASHBACK

Mulan thought about her grandmother's words as she watched the flames consume her father's body. Her mother was standing on her right and her grandmother was on the other side of the platform.

The Emperor had set up the platform in one of his many gardens. Mulan thought it was risky to havte it outdoors and be surrounded by trees but it was better than inside: most of the palace was made of wood.

Quite a few people had come to the cremation. _(A/N: I don't know if they burned people when they died in Ancient China. Go with me :D)_ After they left Minhae's house, Yao, Ling, Chien-Po and Shui Jing had met the servants taking the body back to the Palace, so they went with them. They stood opposite Mulan, next to Grandma Fa.

Shang and Fung stood side-by-side on another side of the square platform. The Emperor stood next to Fung and the rest of the square was taken up by veterans and people who knew Zhou from earlier periods of his life. Chi Fu was also at the cremation, much to Mulan and the Gang's disgust and annoyance. As soon as they saw the short, scrawny man walking towards the platform, Mulan with Yao, Ling and Chien-Po, had marched up to the Emperor and made it clear that they didn't want the old man here. The Emperor had waved them away, saying that Chi Fu had a right to be here. Yao decided not speak to him for the rest of the ceremony.

The Emperor had given a short speech, as did another veteran who knew Zhou during his time in the Academy and the army. Chi Fu said a few words, to which no one in the Gang, besides Shang, listened to. Mulan watched as Shang drank in every honeyed word from the stupid advisor and her admiration in Shang lessened. She was sure that he was only listening to live up to his position as General.

"_Always putting his stupid honour and job first," _She had thought scornfully.

After the speeches, Mulan was invited to hold the burning torch next to her father's body. _(A/N: Think of the burning bit in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King when Denethor sets the twigs around Faramir alight. Those bundles of long twigs are around Fa Zhou's body) _She had been shaking when she walked forward to lay the torch next to the twigs. She could feel everybody's eyes on her and she couldn't stand it. She had wanted to run away, to run away from everything. She could hear her mother's hysterical sobs from behind her. Looking up, she could see Fung and Shang in front of her. Shang was emotionless but Fung gave her a sad, but encouraging smile. She held the torch to the twigs and stepped back as they caught alight, one after another, like falling dominoes.

"Mulan?" Fung had left his place next to Shang and was now standing next to her.

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"How is your mother?" They both looked over at her mother, who was sobbing onto Chien-Po.

"I don't really think I need to say," Mulan said. Fung looked worriedly at her, her statement only held a fragment of the cockiness and fun that she used to have.

"What about you?"

Mulan shrugged. "I don't know. Give me a bit of time and I'll be fine. It's a bit overwhelming now, at this cremation,"

"I know," Fung said. He looked at Shang out of the corner of the eye, to see him looking miserable. Fung rolled his eyes. _"He takes matters to heart too much,"_ He thought, referring to when Fung had told him Mulan didn't want to feel anything for anybody. Fung, as well as the rest of the Gang, had no idea that Mulan loved Shang, they only knew about Shang's feelings. Fung knew Mulan much better than the rest of the Gang, even Tiao Zao. Tiao Zao was just a little child and he didn't understand why Mulan had mood swings or when she wanted to be alone. Fung, who was three years older than her seventeen, understood her swings and, being friendly and funny, was easy for Mulan to open up to.

"What's going to happen now?" Mulan asked Fung. Her grandmother hadn't given her a very satisfactory response and she was determined to get some sort of action out of someone.

"I don't know," His reply was.

"We can't just sit here. There has to be a connection between Mama's rape and Baba's murder," Mulan said back.

"We don't know that,"

Mulan glared at his profile. "Even if there isn't a connection, Baba was murdered! That's life imprisonment for the person who killed him,"

"I know. The thing is, we can't do anything unless the Emperor lets us,"

"Screw him," Mulan muttered. Fung smiled and turned to her.

"Come on, you don't want to just wander off looking for this killer, do you? You have no idea what to look for! In fact, you have no idea where to start looking,"

"Yes, I do,"

"You do?"

"Grandma said that I should use whatever evidence I have to find out the killer. She means that I've been given evidence, however small, and I should just use it. So…"

"What evidence do you have?"

"Well, there's bound to be footprints in the yard at home. They might have left things in the house, they could have dropped something," Mulan said.

"Really?" Fung said, doubtfully. "You went into the yard, on Khan. The imperial servants went in there, also, to collect the body. The footprints are bound to be covered up by now. Besides, if you did have them, how would you use them? You're just getting false hopes-! Ow!" Fung stopped, gripping his leg. Mulan had just kicked him, hard. "What's your problem?"

Mulan glared at him.

"Mulan? Do you want to put the fire out?" The Emperor asked her. The whole platform fell silent. Chi Fu snorted in disgust, he obviously thought a woman couldn't handle it. Mulan had half a mind to take the water and chuck it all over him.

Mulan nodded and took the bucket of water. It was meant to be holy or some sort of cleansing liquid. _(A/N: I'm pretty sure that they don't do this in China, but I thought it seemed a cool idea)_ For some reason, she held her breath as she poured the water over her father's smoking skeleton. _(A/N: He wouldn't have been a skeleton after a few minutes of burning, but never mind. Let's say it took longer) _She bent her head as the last drop of water dripped out of the bucket and hissed as it came in contact with her father's skeleton.

"Zai Jian, Baba," Mulan whispered. _(A/N: Zai Jian means 'goodbye' in Chinese)_

Mulan felt a hand tug on her own. She looked down to see Tiao Zao there, a few tears dripping out his cheeks. Ming Hua stood behind him, looking tired.

"How are you?" Ming Hua asked her. Mulan smiled sadly.

"I'm getting better. I'm a bit tired," She said. Tiao Zao smiled up at her. The smile took away some of the grief she had been feeling, enabling her to grin back at him. Tiao Zao giggled.

Ming Hua left her side to go talk to Fung. Ming Hua hadn't been very pleased when Tiao Zao arrived back at the Palace, having been a part of discovering a girl buried in snow, different love circumstances with Yao, Minhae, Shui Jing, Ling, Mulan and Shang and finding Mulan's father brutally murdered. Mulan sighed as she tried to listen to what Ming Hua was saying to Fung.

Fung, Shang, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po were three years older than Mulan, as they were all twenty. Ming Hua was five years older, making him twenty two. Tao was also twenty two, but he was born several months before Ming Hua, making him older. Tiao Zao had been born when Ming Hua was sixteen. It was unusual for the man to be under twenty when his first child is born, but women were expected to carry children after their fifteenth or sixteenth birthday. Ming Hua had married a young princess from another city, which had an alliance with Chang'an, to prevent war from breaking out. _(A/N: In case you're wondering…I did not nick that bit from Mulan II, I had already planned the details of people out before I actually got the Mulan II DVD)_

"What are you doing?" Tiao Zao asked Mulan.

"Listening to your dad,"

"Why?"

"I think he's annoyed at us,"

"Why?"

"Because we took you along on the trip,"

"So?"

"Well…to put it as your father did, you were 'exposed to a lot of dangers that a six-year-old child should not have to been,'"

Tiao Zao sniggered. "It's not that bad. My friend walked in on his parents…doing stuff,"

Mulan raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "What?"

Tiao Zao giggled. "Yeah…he told me what happened. Basically-,"

"Okay! Okay!" Mulan clamped a hand over the boy's mouth. "I don't really want to hear it. It creeps me out hearing people talk about that sort of stuff, especially six year olds!"

Tiao Zao bit her hand, making Mulan yelp and take her hand away from his mouth. "Sorry," He said, still grinning.

"Kids nowadays," Mulan sighed before walking off to where the Emperor was.

"How are you coping?" The old man asked her. She shrugged.

"Better…I guess,"

"What's on your mind?"

"Just…a lot of things," Mulan watched as two men covered the smoking skeleton with a cloth. "What's going to happen to him?"

The Emperor noticed that she didn't say 'his body' or any term to show that he was dead. _"She probably still doesn't accept it. Or she doesn't want to…"_ "He will be buried,"

They stood in silence for a few more minutes.

"Why are they doing it?" Mulan turned to the Emperor. "Why's it just my family?"

The Emperor looked at her. His face was tired and his wrinkles and worry lines stood out but he smiled. "It's…I don't know,"

"Yes you do!" Mulan snapped. The Emperor raised his eyebrows. "I mean…what is it? If it concerns my family, I have a right to know. Look around you…the rest of my family are gathered here…it's just me, my mother and my grandmother. Let's face it; they aren't going to be around forever,"

"What about your half-sibling?"

"What half-sibling?" Mulan asked. "Oh yeah…well…"

"I can't tell you why there is rivalry between the Huns and the Fa family-,"

"There's rivalry?" Mulan interrupted. "I thought they were just after me!"

"Do not interrupt me child!" The Emperor said.

"Sorry," She muttered.

"Like I said…I cannot tell you why. But I can show you,"

"Show me? How?"

-----

The Emperor led Mulan through the corridors of the Palace. It was an immense maze and Mulan had no idea how people knew their way through it.

The Emperor lived alone in a large suite of rooms. Everyone said that he had concubines and other lady friends but the Emperor preferred not to divulge in that sort of pleasure, the only lady he was close to was his sister that was living in the Palace.

The Emperor pushed open a door and led Mulan into the throne room. They walked down the middle of the room, up the steps, around his chair and they stopped in front of a curtain that hung from the ceiling and touched the floor. The Emperor pulled it aside to reveal a door. He pushed the door open and ushered Mulan in.

The next room was a hallway. It had a large marble water-feature _(A/N: Think of a marble bird-bath) _in the middle of it, steps around the back of the room which led to an upper floor. Doors were dotted alongside the wall, each leading to a corridor which led to more rooms. The Emperor's bedchamber was upstairs, as were his old family rooms. His wife had shared his room but Ming Hua and Tao, when they were young, had shared a nursery, indoor garden and bedchamber. These were all on the upper floor.

The ground floor had a kitchen where one multi-talented servant worked, a dining room, a library, a number of toilet areas and the chamber for the servant. The servant was the only person, besides the Emperor's family and, now, Mulan, who had been in the Emperor's suite.

The Emperor walked up to the fountain and stood behind it. He ran his fingers over the smooth white marble and smiled to himself. He looked up to see Mulan standing awkwardly at the door.

"What's the matter, Fa Mulan?"

"It's uncomfortable…I mean…no one else has ever been in your suite. Am I the first?"

"Yes, besides my family and my servant," The Emperor replied.

"So why am I here?" Mulan left her position next to the door to stand opposite the Emperor.

The Emperor dipped his finger into the water. It created a ripple and they slowly expanded, reaching the circular marble walls of the shallow dish.

"May I have Tao's pendant?"

"How do you know about the pendant?" Mulan demanded, clutching the jade to her chest.

"I am his father, Mulan, I made it for him. I started the chain, of course I know about it," He held out a hand, into which Mulan dropped the pendant.

Holding the pendant by the chain, he lowered the jade into the water and they both watched as it broke the surface and disappeared. The Emperor let go of the chain and the pendant fell with a small splash, into the water.

"Why did you-,"

"Watch," The Emperor shushed her. Mulan looked at the water but nothing happened.

"Watch what?"

"Think. What do you want to know?" The Emperor did not look at Mulan; he continued to stare into the shallow depths of the water.

Mulan raised her eyebrows. _"The man's dippy,"_ She thought, but she concentrated on wondering why the Huns were killing her family.

Slowly, the water's surface began to break into ripples. Mulan, amazed, watched as different colours flowed from the bottom, where the jade was starting to glow bright green, almost luminous. Gradually, the colours merged into an image, swaying slightly on the water's surface.

The picture showed a small boy and an old man, both dressed in rich yellow robes. The small boy looked remarkably like Tiao Zao while the old man's face had a long moustache and beard hanging down from it with a fancy hat perched on his bald head. He was obviously an Emperor; no one else wore those robes. Yet, he did not look like the Emperor which Mulan was standing opposite.

"Who is he?" Mulan whispered. It didn't seem like a time for loud noises.

The Emperor opposite Mulan did not answer, but the image in the water began to talk.

--

"Where have you been, Father?" The small boy asked the older man.

"I have been reading the Imperial Scrolls, written by our Ancestors,"

"What did you read?"

"I read about the formation of the Huns,"

"I don't like the Huns. I don't think they are important. I have much more essential things to do instead of worrying about them,"

The man smiled, leaned forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "My son, when you are Emperor, you are going to have to know about the Huns, in order to finally defeat them,"

"I don't know anything about them,"

"Centuries ago, there were no such people called the Huns. The Huns started off as two bandit families, the Fa family and the Chai family. They lived in the mountains and they were rivals. There were no greater enemies in China than them. They then decided to join together as they knew they would be much stronger together. No one knows how they got together; it seemed an impossible thing for two families who hated each other so much to suddenly join together," The old man explained.

"The Huns were two families?"

"Yes. They called themselves the Huns _(A/N: I'm not sure if this theory actually fits in with Chinese history but go with me)_ and they were feared by all of China. In order to keep the Huns together, the families married each other. Brothers, sisters, cousins and friends married and produced children to keep it in the family _(A/N: A bit like the modern-day Mafia, you know they are generally one big family?)_. However, the three daughters of a man, Fa Tao, objected to being married to three of the Chai sons. They refused to marry them, to the disgust of everyone else. They were sentenced to death the next morning. That night, Fa Tao went to the Imperial City, confessed everything and asked for the Emperor to help him and his daughters,"

"Did he?"

"Yes, of course he did. He granted him clemency and lodgings in this palace until Fa Tao managed to get back on his feet again,"

"He was a Hun!"

"He was generally upset for his actions. He could not help being born into the Huns,"

The little boy shrugged. The older man smiled sympathetically at him.

"My little Tao, to be a good emperor, you need to look at both sides of the argument. Fa Tao was sorry for what his family had caused and wanted help. The present Emperor was more than happy to offer it to him. If I was alive then, I would have done the same thing,"

"I know, Father,"

"When Fa Tao returned to the Huns, he found out that they had sent a spy after him. Someone had seen him leave the camp and the leader told a man to follow him. Genocide took place in the Hun camp and many people died. They were so angry with Fa Tao for betraying them; they took their anger out on everyone around them. They slaughtered each other like animals,"

"How come we still have Huns then?"

"Not all of them died, my little Tao. Several of the Chai family escaped and so did one Fa. Imperial troops arrived and took the one Fa to the palace while the Chai survivors escaped,"

"Does that mean the Chai family will want revenge on the Fa family because Fa Tao betrayed them?"

"Yes,"

--

After the final word, the picture started to break up. The light colours faded away and then, the dark colours did. The pendant stopped glowing bright green after the old man had stopped talking. The Emperor reached in and pulled it out, holding it by the chain. It was totally dry; there was not a drop of water on it. Mulan was too pre-occupied with other questions to worry about the pendant being fully dry.

"My family were once bandits?" She asked. "Bandits?!"

"Yes, I'm afraid you were. You and Shan-Yu are very, very distantly related. Why do you think he tried so hard to kill you, a month or so back? It wasn't just because you destroyed almost all of his army in the avalanche, he found out your name was Fa Mulan and he wanted revenge. The Huns will never stop attacking your family, Mulan. They want the world rid of Fa blood,"

"You knew this and you didn't tell me?" Mulan shrieked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You might not have believed me. It was best to show you how I learnt,"

Mulan paused. "What's your name?"

"I am called Tao,"

Mulan grinned. "Is it a family name?"

"In the reflection, I was the little boy. That was how I learnt about the Huns, my father told me. My ancestor obviously admired Fa Tao so he named his son after him. Since then, it's been almost tradition to name your eldest son Tao,"

Mulan's eyes lit up. "Can it show me whatever I want?"

The Emperor held up a hand. "The pendant can show you whatever you want, as long as it concerns people in the pendant chain. I started the chain, as I made it, so it can show you anything about me. That is how you saw how I learnt about the Huns. My son, Tao, is also in the chain, so you can see whatever you want to see about him also. You can also see about yourself. Should you give it to someone, they will be able to see themselves and you, as well,"

"I don't want anything to do with Tao," Mulan snapped, snatching up the pendant. She hung it around her neck and smiled at the familiarity of the green jade resting against her breastbone.

The Emperor bowed his head. He knew that Mulan still liked Tao, as a friend. _"Why else would she still wear his pendant?"_ He thought as Mulan left the room, the curtain swinging behind her.

-----

The following day, Fung and Tiao Zao were wandering aimlessly around the Palace gardens.

"Everyone is so depressed lately," Tiao Zao started.

"Come on; give them a bit of leeway. A lot of stuff has happened," Fung reasoned.

"So? That shouldn't get us down! If we collapsed after each heart-break, we'd never have enough will power to carry on with our lives," Tiao Zao snapped, kicking a nearby tree.

"Those are wise words, Little Flea. Did you think of that, just then?" Fung asked, sitting down on the grass in a small clearing of trees. The great thing about the Palace Gardens was that no matter how many times you walked around it, there was always a part that you hadn't been in. It consisted of mini woods, forest, ponds, lakes and a waterfall and cave was in the far corner. _(A/N: This might sound a bit far-fetched, but tough) _

"Nah, Grandpa used them when Mama passed away. He was talking to Baba," Tiao Zao replied, sitting down opposite Fung and leaning against a tree.

Fung nodded, not surprised at the lively tone at which the boy talked about his mother in. He knew that Tiao Zao's mother had died when he was born and he did not miss her. As Tiao Zao had said earlier when asked, _'You can't miss something you never had,'_ The boy was smart; he would make a very good emperor when he was older…if he ever got to be as Mulan's half-sibling was going to be it after Tao…should Tao ever come back.

"You know what? We need something to lighten the mood," Fung said.

Tiao Zao grinned. "What about that trick I thought of earlier?"

Fung began to laugh. "That had better be done during dinner. That's the one time the whole Gang, Shang and Mulan come together and besides, that room has a high ceiling,"

"Okay, great. Come on," Tiao Zao stood up and began running back to the Palace. "Catch me if you can!" He yelled over his shoulder. Fung scrambled up and sprinted after the, surprisingly fast, boy.

-----

"Come on babe. It's not that bad," Mushu said, watching Mulan pace up and down her room. The whole Gang were in the room, except Fung and Tiao Zao. Shang, also, wasn't there. He was still distancing himself from Mulan, even though what Fung had told him was still clear in his mind.

"Not that bad?" Mulan yelled, hysterical. "How would you feel if you suddenly discovered that your family were once bandits, Huns and traitors?!"

"I don't know!" Mushu yelled back. "I wouldn't be freaking out about it, though!"

"How do you know that? It wasn't happened to you!" Mulan demanded of the little dragon, poking him in the chest. "Has it?"

Yao pushed Mulan onto the floor. She wasn't expecting it, so she collapsed easily. She sat up, indignant.

"What the hell was that?"

"To try and knock a bit of sense into you!" Yao snapped. "Okay, something bad has happened but don't go crazy!"

Mulan stood up, red-faced, and towered over the little man. "What are you talking about, you DWARF?!" She slapped him across the face. "HOW CAN I NOT GO CRAZY ABOUT IT?? A LOAD OF HUNS ARE AFTER MY BLOOD AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CONTROL MYSELF?!"

Yao, angry at being slapped, was about to leap forward when Chien-Po jumped in front of him. "Yes, we are, Mulan,"

"YOU'RE FRICKIN' CRAZY!! HOW THE HELL CAN I CONTROL MYSELF?!" Mulan yelled.

Shui Jing reached over and slapped Mulan across the face, just as Mulan had did to Yao. "Stop it! You're hysterical!"

"No shit…" Mulan muttered, sinking down onto a couch, her anger ebbing away.

"Come on, this doesn't affect you," Ling said.

"What?" She snapped. "How can it not affect me?"

"It doesn't affect you more than it did before," Chien-Po reasoned. "You knew that, before the Emperor told you, that the Huns were trying to kill your name,"

"I didn't know that we were once bandits or Huns," She argued.

"It doesn't affect you now, does it?" Yao said. "You aren't one now,"

"I know," Mulan sighed.

"How did the Emperor know all this?" Shui Jing asked.

Mulan paused. She hadn't told them that it was the pendant in the water that had 'told' her, she had just said that the Emperor had told her. She didn't really want to yell the pendant around, it might cause unwanted trouble. "He told me, because his father had told him when he was about Tiao Zao's age,"

"Talking of Tiao Zao, where is he? What about Fung?" Ling said, looking around as if expecting to see them walk through the door.

"They were in the dining room," Shui Jing said. "Well, Fung was. I didn't see Tiao Zao,"

"Hmm," Mulan said, running her fingers through her hair.

Mushu looked at her. "I would be angry at you, Mulan, for poking me, but I'm used to it. Pretty Boy hit me off the horse earlier,"

"Why?" Shui Jing asked.

"Nothing," Mushu answered. "Anyway, me and the Lucky Bug had to run like hell to catch up with him. I tell you, that cow of yours can really run when he wants to,"

"Horse," Mulan automatically corrected him.

"Whatever," Mushu said, waving it away with his hand.

"We better go down to dinner," Ling said, standing up.

"Oh yeah," Mulan stood up and followed the rest of them out of the room.

-----

"Can you attach this rope to that hook?" Fung asked Tiao Zao, chucking the length of rope to him. "Yeah…that hook there!"

"Do you reckon this'll hold?" Tiao Zao asked, twisting it around the hook.

"I should this so," Fung said, climbing up the opposite ladder. "Do you have the bucket?" He asked.

"Yeah," Tiao Zao said, motioning to the top platform of his ladder. "Do we pour it in now?" He asked.

"Yeah," Fung replied.

Both of them, gently, poured the contents of the bucket into the blanket. They scrambled back down their ladders, put them in a neighbouring broom cupboard. They had just finished shoving them away when they heard footsteps in the corridor.

"Come on, quick!" Tiao Zao moaned as he watched Fung frantically shut the door. Fung ran to the side of the door and grinned as it opened to reveal the rest of the Gang and Mulan.

"What are you doing?" Mulan asked, instantly suscipious at both Fung and Tiao Zao standing at the side of the door. Looking up, she saw a yellow blanket, sagging in the middle, suspended above their heads. Frowning at this new decoration, she looked at Fung, who gave her an 'innocent' smile.

Not suspicious of anything, the rest of the Gang walked forward. A great shower of flour fell down on top of them, making them look like walking snowmen _(A/N: They didn't have snowmen then, but just imagine what they look like)_

Shui Jing shrieked as the flour fell on her, as did Yao and Ling. Chien-Po's mouth fell open and flour fell into his mouth. He began to cough.

Mulan, who had avoided the flour as she was behind the group, burst into laughter. The sight of them made her sides hurt and she began to cry slightly.

Fung and Tiao Zao were the same. As they had pulled the ropes, the blanket had pulled back, letting the flour fall on them. Tiao Zao was finding it hard to breathe and Fung was leaning on the wall behind him.

Stumbling to the bench that they sat on for dinner, Yao sat down on it. The second he did, it collapsed underneath him, causing laughter to come from Mulan, Fung, Tiao Zao, Ling, Shui Jing and Chien-Po.

Fung looked over at Tiao Zao, who held open his hand. In his hand lay four (two for each end) circular posts, that held the bench together.

_A/N: Another chapter up! The tricks don't seem as funny written down, but in my head they are a lot funnier. In case you haven't read my bio: I got alot of people telling me that Mulan 2 isn't out yet in the States, which it isn't, but my mom (who is British) went back over there last week (it might have been a fortnight, I don't know) and she's bought it and gave it to me a few days ago when she came back. _

Thank you and please review, good or bad!

And I'd also like to wish all my readers and reviewers A 'MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR' because I probably won't update before Christmas. Anyway...Merry Christmas!! - Ellie xxx


	16. Insomnia and Mercy Killing

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Insomnia and Mercy Killing**

Dedicated to: Rache (one of my best friends) and another of my best friends who left our school…you gotta know who I'm talking about now…I love you both loads!

_A/N: Thank you to Sakura Priestess, Yoshie, Rache (I am using the same plot from the coach :D), celest4, arie, mess531y, Maegmel, Dragon Spirit Fighter, Avey, lobsstaceyters, Carolinus Took and Angel452 for reviewing!!_

_And to burst the happy bubble people had, I'm not going to have Shang and Mulan get together anytime soon. They are going to, eventually, but much more important stuff is happening and they sort of don't have time for it. _

_While I'm on that, I'd just like to tell you that this story is going to be split into two Parts: Part I and Part II. More details on that later, but Shang and Mulan do get together before Part II starts._

Mulan waited anxiously outside the door. The doctor had his hands full with Chien-Po's illness and Mulan's mother's pregnancy. Mulan had never made any indication to show that she acknowledged she would soon have a half-sibling. As far as she was concerned, she wanted nothing to do with the child as it was Tao's.

Two days had gone by since the funeral and that night, Mulan woke up with a splitting headache. It wasn't anything new; she had been getting them ever since her kidnapping, which was about a month ago. _(A/N: No idea of time and distance and weeks, you know…go with me :D)_ She was still haunted by nightmares of walking corpses of her father, of Huns being executed, a devil child springing from her mother and of more Huns attacking villages.

She scrambled out of her bed to get a drink of water when she heard a thump.

FLASHBACK (Earlier that night):

"_What the hell was that?"_ Mulan thought, placing the glass of water back on the dressing table. She looked over to see that Mushu and Cri-Kee were still sleeping. Mushu was stretched out on her pillow and Cri-Kee was nestled in a fold of her dress.

She pushed the door open and stuck her head out into the corridor. The only sounds she could hear were snoring; Shang's room was next to hers and Fung's was opposite. Shutting the door quietly behind her, Mulan padded across the corridor and listened again. She couldn't hear anything this time, so she opened Fung's door.

She could see a lump in the bed that had a few hairs sticking out the top. Closing the door behind her, she pushed open the next room's door.

Chien-Po was lying on his back, on the floor, unconscious. She gave a small cry and hurried to his side. He was too heavy for her to lift by herself, so she ran out the door, into Fung's room and shook him to wake him up.

"Fung! Fung! Wake up!" She snapped.

Fung, groggily, stuck his head out of the covers and looked at her out of bleary eyes. "What do you want?" He suddenly sat up. "What the hell are you DOING here?"

"Chien-Po fell over!" She answered.

"So what?" Fung said, disappearing out of the covers. Mulan yanked them off, like Mushu had done to her. "Oi!"

"I think he fell over because of his illness. He's unconscious, come on!" She cried, frantically.

"All right, all right," He said, getting up and pulling some sort of dressing gown on. He left his room and went into Chien-Po's. He bent over Chien-Po's frame and laid a hand on his forehead. "He's freezing,"

"Shall I go get the doctor?" Mulan said, standing up from where she had been crouching next to Fung.

"Why don't we take him there?" Fung suggested. "Then he won't have to move supplies,"

"Chien-Po is much heavier than any of us, Fung," Mulan said, scornfully. "Do you honestly think two of us could lift him?"

Fung blushed. "Oh yeah…Well, you go and get the doctor while I'll stay here and make sure he's okay,"

END FLASHBACK

The doctor had sent Mulan outside of Chien-Po's room, as well as Fung. Fung, being tired and lazy, went back to bed after making sure that Mulan would tell him if Chien-Po's condition got worse.

"_Men…"_ She thought.

The door finally opened and the doctor smiled at Mulan.

"How is he?"

"He's fine now, he's sleeping,"

"What happened to him?"

"He lost all of his strength and energy, so he just collapsed. I think that this will be his last week. He's not going to be able to get out of bed from now on, I think the strain on his legs would be too much," The doctor said. He started walking down the corridor, when he stopped and turned back to Mulan. "What is it?"

"What's wrong with him?" Mulan asked.

The doctor frowned. "We are not sure. All we know is that something is inside his head and is causing him pain,"

"I have headaches,"

"No, it is much more severe than a headache. His blood pressure has gone right up and he has lost his appetite lately,"

Mulan bit her lip. "Thank you, doctor,"

The doctor bowed his head and disappeared down the corridor.

Mulan waited for a bit before going back into her room. She sat down on her bed and looked gloomily at the floor.

"_I've made a big fuss over nothing, haven't I?"_ She thought. _"Here I am, fussing over the history of my family where Chien-Po had a terminal illness. He never complained about it, he got on with his life and he helped me,"_ She wiped a few tears away from her eyes. She looked around the room and miserably sighed. "I want Tao," She whispered quietly. "He's been through something like this…He thought he was a Hun, my family started them…" Mulan bit her lip again.

Suddenly, she stood up and looked at the glass of water.

Her fingers fumbled around the clasp of her necklace before dropping it into the glass. It began to glow.

"_Show me Tao,"_ She thought. Like before, the colours merged into a picture on the surface of the water. Mulan watched as a man, wearing a brown hood, pushed his way through woodland. She couldn't see his face but his arms and legs were severely scratched.

"Oh my god…" She whispered, staring down at the image. In the reflection, Tao bent down and picked two white flowers. Mulan could see that they had three petals each but she didn't recognise what kind of flower they were.

As she watched, Tao tucked the two flowers into his pocket and he carried on, pushing his way through more undergrowth. Mulan reached into the water to retrieve the pendant but as she put her hand into the water, the image didn't distort and it simply carried on showing Tao walking.

Mulan hung the pendant back around her neck and watched as the ripples on the surface disappeared. Smiling to herself, she flopped back on the bed and lay back on the pillows. She was glad that Tao was okay and just seeing him again made her smile.

Mulan looked down at the dark green pendant. _"I wish he'd come back,"_ She went on thinking. _"I really miss him,"_

-----

"What happened to Chien-Po?" Fung demanded. "You never came back to tell me what happened!"

"You told me to tell you if he got worse but he didn't! That's why I didn't tell you," Mulan snapped back.

"I wanted you to tell me what happened to him!" Fung went on.

"Guys! Guys!" Yao said. "What are you talking about?"

It was the following morning and Fung was mad at Mulan for not telling him about Chien-Po. They were sitting opposite each other, at the breakfast table in the dining room, and they were almost yelling at each other.

Shang was sitting next to Fung, drinking tea. He was not taking the slightest notice of the two arguers. Tiao Zao was with Ming Hua, Chien-Po was in his room, Yao was sitting next to Mulan and Ling and Shui Jing were somewhere in the Palace Gardens.

"Last night, I heard a thump come from Chien-Po's room so I went to see what happened," Mulan started.

"Yeah, then she comes barging into my room and yells at me to go help her,"

"You went into his room?" Yao sniggered. Mulan glared at him. "…sorry,"

"Anyway, it turned out Chien-Po had fallen over because he lost his strength," Mulan said. "The doctor told me that he's got about a week to live,"

"A week?" Shang asked, shocked. "Seriously?"

Mulan nodded. "He's in too much pain to walk around now,"

Fung bit his lip. "I didn't realise it was that serious, and so soon,"

"Me neither," Yao said. "Before we went to see Minhae, he said he'd have about two weeks to live,"

"That was about five days or so ago, Yao," Shang said.

"He said two weeks,"

"I don't know…"

"What are we going to do?" Mulan asked.

"I don't think there's much we can do," Shang went on. Mulan looked over at him. For the first time in days, he met her eyes. "All we can really do is just not to talk about it when we visit him and just be there for him,"

"Yeah…that's probably the only thing we can do," Fung said, chewing the end of his chopstick.

"Is there no cure for his illness?" Mulan asked.

"There's none that the doctor knows of," Yao replied.

"Can we trust that?" Fung said. "This doctor says that he doesn't know what's wrong with Chien-Po so how can he be sure that there's no cure for it?"

"What started it?" Shang asked. "Was he injured by the Hun attack, a month and a few weeks back?"

"I don't remember him being injured when we were around," Fung said, screwing up his face in an effort to remember.

"He must have met a few Huns when he was coming to help us out of the dungeon _(A/N: Chapter 7 and 8) _What if he was injured before he freed us?" Mulan said.

"Wouldn't the doctor have seen a wound?" Yao went on. "He checked us all,"

"He might have dressed the wound, but it could have been poisoned or…" Mulan said.

"The Huns have flaming arrows, I don't know whether they have poisoned ones," Shang said.

Mulan sighed. "Screw it," She muttered before standing up. "I'm going to see how he's doing. Anyone coming?"

"Yeah, I'll come," Shang said, also getting up. Fung smirked to himself.

They both looked to Fung and Yao. Fung gestured to his bowl of rice and Yao shrugged.

"I'll check up on him later," Yao said.

"Okay," Mulan said, walking out the room.

-----

"Hey, Mulan?" Shang jogged to catch up with her brisk walk.

"Yeah?" She slowed and turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry," He said, casting his eyes downwards.

"For what?"

"For being a jerk to you," Shang said, his eyes still looking at the floor.

"When were you a jerk to me?" She asked.

"When I was ignoring you,"

"Oh yeah…" Mulan giggled. Shang looked up, startled. "It doesn't matter, Shang. I started it; I was ignoring you for no reason,"

"Fung said that-" Shang said, before he could stop himself. Mulan's eyebrows shot up and she looked annoyed.

"What did Fung say?" She demanded.

"Uh…nothing," _"Crap,"_ He thought. He looked at Mulan and wilted under her gaze. "He said that you didn't want to feel things for anyone,"

"_Shit,"_ Mulan thought. _"Damn you, Fung, can't you ever keep your big mouth shut?"_

"Uh…" Shang started. "If you're not comfortable around me then could you just…sort of say so? Otherwise, I'll be a jerk to you again and I wouldn't really want you to…think that of me. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Mulan said, through gritted teeth. She was still mad at Fung. "I'm not, don't worry," She looked up and smiled. Shang smiled back.

"Are we okay now?" He asked. He stretched out his hand to seal the deal, but Mulan reached up and gave him a hug. A little startled, but still pleased, he put his arms around her and hugged her back. Mulan nestled into his body and shut her eyes. She wasn't completely out of it as she felt Shang's lips lightly brush her head. She grinned to herself.

-----

"Guys! Guys!" Tiao Zao yelled.

Ling and Shui Jing turned to see Tiao Zao hurtling towards them. He ran straight into Shui Jing. Ling caught hold of his collar and yanked him off her.

"Hey, Tiao Zao," Shui Jing smiled. Tiao Zao grinned back.

"What's up?" Ling asked, still holding the struggling boy by the collar.

"Well, if you let me go, I'll tell you," Tiao Zao said, wriggling out of Ling's grip.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Ling said, releasing Tiao Zao's collar.

"What is it?" Shui Jing asked.

"Have you heard about Chien-Po?"

"No, what's up with him?" Shui Jing asked.

"He's in bed and he probably won't get up ever again. The doctor said he had about a week to live,"

"A week?" Ling burst out, horrified.

Tiao Zao nodded.

"Oh god…how did you find out?" Shui Jing said.

"Grandpa told me. The doctor told him this morning,"

"Come on, we better go see how he's doing," Ling said, starting to run back up to the Palace. Shui Jing hurried after him, holding Tiao Zao's hand.

-----

"How you doing, buddy?" Mushu asked, sitting on Chien-Po's pillow. He and Cri-Kee had got the full story off Mulan when they saw her and Shang going into Chien-Po's room.

"I don't really know, to be honest," Chien-Po said, rubbing his forehead. "Can you pass me some water?"

The whole Gang, Mulan and Shang were sitting in Chien-Po's room. Tiao Zao and Mulan were sitting on different sides of his bed, near him. Fung and Shang sat behind them. Yao was on a chair which he dragged near the bed and Shui Jing and Ling were on a sofa which had also been dragged closer to the bed.

"Yeah," Tiao Zao said, taking a glass from the besides table and filling it up with water. He gave it to Chien-Po, who stared down into the bottom of it instead of drinking it.

"Not thirsty?" Ling asked.

"Not much," Chien-Po said. "It's good to know that I can still hold a glass so not all my strength has gone,"

Mulan smiled sympathetically. "Are you sure there's no cure?" She persisted. Fung rolled his eyes.

"None that I know of," Chien-Po said.

Mulan looked around at the rest of the Gang.

"How the hell are we meant to know?" Yao said.

"There's got to be something," She went on. Chien-Po smiled and gave Tiao Zao the full glass back.

"Can you do me a favour?" He asked Mulan.

"Sure,"

"I left my book in the library, will you and get it for me?" He asked.

"Okay, sure," Mulan got up and left the room.

"So, how are you doing?" Yao said, looking over at Shang.

"Huh?"

"Are you still mad at Mulan, first?" Fung asked.

Shang looked at Chien-Po who grinned back. "Did you send her out so we could talk about it?"

"Pretty much, yeah,"

"Were you mad at her?" Shui Jing asked.

"Sort of. We're okay now though, we talked about it before we came in here," Shang said.

"So, are you ever going to tell her?" Ling went on.

"I don't know," Shang said.

"Come on!" Ling snapped. "You can't let it go on forever. You'd feel better after you told her,"

"I don't know," Fung said, interrupting. "She's got a lot on her mind right now, maybe this would just mess with her mind,"

"What things?" Shang said, as he did not know that Mulan's family were once bandits and the whole story. "Is it still about her father's death and all that?"

"It's not just 'all that', Shang," Shui Jing snapped, defending Mulan.

Shang rolled his eyes. He didn't like Shui Jing that much, he found that she was too much of a gossip and enjoyed finding out things that didn't concern her.

"Don't roll your eyes at her!" Ling snapped, jumping in to save Shui Jing.

"Guys, guys, we're going off the subject of Shang and Mulan," Chien-Po said. He looked over at Shang. "Do you like Mulan?"

"I do," Shang said.

"He's already practising for the wedding," Ling sniggered. Yao began to laugh, as did Fung and Shui Jing.

Shang glared at them. "Sorry," They all muttered.

"How is it so hard to tell her that then?" Tiao Zao asked.

"I don't know! People keep walking in whenever I try to, or I lose my courage or I get my words all muddled up," Shang sighed. "I suck at this, don't I?"

"It's just occurring to you?" Yao said, sarcastically. Shang hurled a pillow at him. Yao chucked it back before Shang threw another one that hit Shui Jing in the face.

"Hey!" She yelled, picking up another cushion that lay on another sofa in the corner and throwing it at Shang, who ducked and it hit Fung instead. Fung threw it back at Shui Jing, who picked up two and threw them at Yao and Shang.

Within seconds, a full scale pillow/cushion fight was taking place. It ended when Tiao Zao knocked the glass of water all over Chien-Po's pillow.

"Oops. I'm sorry Chien-Po," Tiao Zao said, picking the glass up.

"That's okay," Chien-Po said, smiling. "I haven't laughed like that for a while,"

"But I got your pillow all wet," Tiao Zao said.

"It doesn't matter. I just won't sleep on that side, that's all,"

-----

"I've never been here, have you?" Mulan said, turning to Mushu who was perched on her shoulder.

"How could I have been here?" Mushu said. "I've been with you most of the time, girl,"

"Hmm. All the same, I don't like it. It's too…"

"Quiet?" Mushu suggested.

"Yeah,"

"Come on then, find the man's book and let's get the hell out of here,"

"All right, all right,"

Mulan walked over to the nearest desk and rummaged around. "He did tell me what the book was even called?" She asked Mushu, who was walking around.

"I don't think so, babes,"

"Shit. Well, how I am meant to find it then?"

"Maybe he just wanted you out of the room,"

"Charming," Mulan sat down on a chair behind a desk and flicked open some pages of a book that was lying on the desk infront of her.

"What you looking at?" Mushu said, scrambling up to see.

"I don't know," Mulan shut the book and leaned back in the chair. She yawned.

"Tired?"

"Fairly,"

"What's up?"

"Insomnia," Mulan answered. She looked around the room and then frowned. "Mushu…"

"Yup?"

"What can flowers do?"

Mushu raised an eyebrow. "They can smell nice, they can attract insects and they can look nice…"

"No, I mean, can they cure illnesses and things like that?" Mulan asked.

"I think only a few can," Mushu said. "It's a pretty rare thing for a flower to cure an illness, I think they can only slow the pain or get rid of it,"

Mulan sighed. _"Damn it,"_

"Why?"

"Nothing…just been thinking,"

-----

Mulan couldn't sleep. It had been two days since she found Chien-Po lying on the floor of his. She was worried about him and she was also starting to worry about her mother and the child. She was still angry at Tao but she was slightly more forgiving to him now, though she couldn't say the reason why. Ever since she had seen him in the reflection, her attitude towards him had changed somehow…she didn't seem as mad as she was before.

Another thing that had been worrying her was that the pendant seemed to be growing lighter. It wasn't so much of a worry as it was still nearer dark green than pale green, but she knew that it meant Tao was nearer to her than he was before. Whenever she did fall asleep for a few minutes, he would wander in and out of her dreams and throw white flowers at her. She had no idea what they were; except that she had seen Tao pick them in the reflection.

Her mother had had a check-up on the baby, which was just the doctor listening to the baby by pressing his ear to her stomach and feeling the kicking, and was told that the child was doing fine. Mulan had her doubts on that, after all, the doctor had no idea whether the child was okay or not, he couldn't see it. Her mother was now about six months pregnant and the lump was really showing. Mulan couldn't help but cringe whenever she saw it but it was nothing compared to the reactions of others. The Gang, Shang and the Emperor knew that Fa Li was raped by Tao but Ming Hua and other residents in the Palace didn't and they, except Ming Hua, didn't waste time to show their disapproval at it.

Mulan didn't like them saying cruel things to her mother, but she knew that if she were one of them, she'd be thinking the same things. It didn't look too good: a woman in her late-forties _(A/N: I don't know Mulan's mother's age…let's just say that she's in her late-forties)_ with a dead husband, a daughter who had joined the army and a six-month child inside her.

The most immediate worry Mulan had, as did everyone else, was Chien-Po. The doctor didn't think he had much time to live anymore. Whenever any of the Gang, Shang and Mulan had any time, they would sit with Chien-Po and read to him. Tiao Zao had been banned from the room by Fung and Shang as he kept bursting into tears whenever he saw Chien-Po and how pale he was. Both Fung and Shang and told him that Chien-Po didn't need a lot of sympathy right now, he needed people to be strong for him but as Tiao Zao couldn't help but cry, they forbade him to go into the room.

"Mushu?" She hissed into the darkness of her room. When no one replied, she whispered again. "Mushu!"

"Yeah, what's up honey?" Mushu replied, yawning half-way through.

"I can't sleep,"

"I noticed," Mushu said, his voice muffled as he was sleeping with his face in the pillow.

"What?"

"You haven't slept at all for the last two days," Mushu said.

"I know," She snapped back, folding her arms. She leaned over and lit the candle. Mushu sat up, blinking in the sudden light.

"What are you doing?"

"I might as well do something instead of trying to force myself to sleep," Mulan said, looking for her book. Snatching it up from her nightstand, she flicked the pages open and settled behind it's covers to read.

Mushu had no choice but to fall asleep with the light on. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sleep with the candle shining in his eyes, so he gave up and stared at the ceiling, sulking.

"What's your problem?" Mulan said, looking up from her book.

"I want to sleep," Mushu said, huffily.

"Well, sleep then," Mulan said, disappearing behind her book again.

"I can't. Your stupid candle is shining in my goddamn eyes," Mushu snapped angrily.

"You're grouchy," Mulan said, not moving.

"Ahh…shaddup," Mushu said, slurring his words together.

-----

"Do you reckon Mulan and Shang will ever get together?" Shui Jing said, turning to Ling.

It was the next morning and Ling and Shui Jing were out in the Palace Gardens, walking around. One of them was rarely seen without the other and people had started rumours about them. Most of them started out to be correct: Ling and Shui Jing were in love with each other and Ling already had marriage plans in his head.

"I should think so," Ling said. "I don't know if it will be any time soon, they both got a lot to deal with right now,"

"What's Shang got to deal with?" Shui Jing asked. Shui Jing didn't like Shang much either, she thought he was too pompous and up himself. Their feelings were mutual as Shang didn't like Shui Jing much also.

"Well, Chien-Po…" Ling paused.

"Mulan's got to deal with Chien-Po and her mother's pregnancy," Shui Jing said.

"I know…why are we talking about them anyway?"

"I just find it weird…you know? Two people who clearly like each other…and yet neither of them say it," Shui Jing said, carefully avoiding Ling's eyes.

Ling didn't say anything either, he didn't want to sound stupid. "I guess…" He said, after a while. Shui Jing looked disappointed. "Maybe he's just waiting for the right time," Ling suggested.

Shui Jing brightened. "Maybe he is…but he should say something in the end,"

Neither of them seemed to be talking about Shang and Mulan anymore.

Ling smiled and held out his hand. Shui Jing took it and smiled back. "I think he probably will someday…if he doesn't chicken out,"

-----

Fung and Mulan were sitting in Chien-Po's room. Fung was sprawled on a sofa, his eyes closing. Mulan, who had been sitting on a chair on the other side of the bed, had walked over to Fung and pinched him hard on the cheek.

Fung's eyes shot open. "Ow!"

Mulan began to laugh.

"Guys! Guys!" Chien-Po snapped. "You got to let me sleep!"

"Sorry," They both muttered.

"Why are you guys here?" Chien-Po said, looking over at them. His face was pale and his eyes were slits, he couldn't open them fully anymore. Under his eyes was a thick line of purple and above, a red line was bordering his upper eyelid. He was sweating also as the doctor was turning to 'sweat out the fever'. Fung said that this was a stupid technique: Chien-Po didn't even have a fever.

"Just…keeping you company, big guy," Fung said.

"Great company…" Chien-Po snapped.

"Do you want us to go?" Mulan asked. "We won't be offended,"

"It wouldn't really make a difference-" Chien-Po started before going into a huge coughing fit. Mulan jumped up with a tissue for him to cough into and Fung gave him a glass of water. Chien-Po gulped it down, despite Fung's protests for him to 'sip it gently'. Mulan bit her lip and moved towards the bin to dump the tissue when a spot of red caught her eye.

Opening the tissue, she found it covered in blood.

"_I thought he was just coughing…"_ Mulan looked over to where Chien-Po was handing the glass back to Fung. _"He's coughing up blood?"_

"Hey, Fung!" Mulan jerked her head for him to come next to her.

"Yeah?"

Mulan shoved the tissue into his hand. Fung looked down at it and grimaced.

"Is this Chien-Po's tissue?"

Mulan nodded. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't think there's much we can do…" Fung said, his voice trailing off. Mulan narrowed her eyebrows.

"What?"

"You probably wouldn't approve of it…"

Mulan paused as Fung dropped the tissue into the bin. She turned to Fung, who was straightening up. "Mercy killing?"

Fung, grimly, nodded.

"No way!" She hissed. "You can't kill him!"

"It would-" Fung started, before looking over at Chien-Po, who had his eyes shut. "Come on,"

He dragged her outside before carrying on. "It would spare him a lot of pain,"

"It's murder!"

"No, it's not! It's…yeah, it's mercy killing. The man would be in tremendous pain. Have you ever had that? The sort of pain he's going through would crush anyone!"

"It's still murder! We're talking about killing him!"

"This thing he has is going to kill him anyway!" Fung snapped.

"We don't know that!" She yelled.

"For god's sake Mulan! Open your eyes and look at him! Can't you see how much pain he's in? He's trying to keep a brave face, but you've seen for yourself what it's doing to him! A normal person doesn't just cough up blood! It wasn't just drops of blood, the whole tissue was soaked in it!"

"I know it was!" Mulan yelled back. "How do we know he'd want to be killed?"

"You'd ask!"

"You can't just ask someone whether they want to be killed!"

"Not outright!" Fung snapped. He looked around at the door and sighed. "He's probably heard us,"

Mulan's anger disappeared. "It's too harsh,"

"I know it is," Fung said, smiling sadly. "But we're going to have to be happy throughout all of it, just for Chien-Po. It would be ten times harder for him if he knew that we were freaking out about it and crying, you know?"

"I know it would be,"

"Mercy killing is the only thing I can think of doing to help him," Fung said. Mulan winced and Fung noticed it. "It's not the best option but it's the only one I can think of,"

"I don't think we should suggest it to him now. Give him another day or so and see how he copes," Mulan suggested.

"Good idea," Fung said, distractedly. He looked back over his shoulder at Chien-Po's door. "Do you reckon he heard us?"

"You said he did and we both yelling pretty loudly," Mulan said. "Should we go back in there?"

"I'll go," Fung said. "You've been with him since you got up, you need a break,"

Mulan nodded. "I'm worried about him, Fung. I…what?" Fung was staring at her neck.

"There," He pointed towards the pendant. "It's a lighter green, I swear. It used to be really dark,"

Mulan looked down and saw that the pendant was much lighter. She frowned.

"Really? I didn't notice anything," She said, before walking off. No one, besides Tao and the Emperor, knew about the pendant and how it could change colours. Mushu and Cri-Kee had heard Tao telling Mulan how it could change, but they didn't know that it had anything to do with the pendant.

-----

"Hey! Shang!" Mulan called.

Shang, who was practising battle techniques in the Palace Gardens, looked up and smiled. He pulled his jacket _(A/N: That white jacket thing he wore before 'I'll Make a Man Out of You')_

"Hey," He said.

"What are you doing?"

"Just practising. I've been a bit bored lately, so I thought I'd train to…you know, get exercise and to take my mind off things,"

"I know what you mean," Mulan said, picking up a stick and throwing it up and down in the air.

"Huh?"

"Just…a lot of things have been bothering me. Chien-Po's illness, mainly,"

"Ah,"

Mulan watched as Shang did a few more moves with another stick.

"You know what?" She said, standing up. "I'll fight you, I'm bored and I'm sick to death with doing nothing,"

"Okay, sure," Shang grinned.

They both bowed to each other. Mulan was a better attacker, but Shang was considerably taller and heavier than her which gave them both advantages. Mulan hit out with the stick which was blocked by Shang's. She jumped around him and was about to hit him from the back, when he twisted around and swung at her head.

She fell backwards, onto her back. Rolling over, she got back on to her feet to be swung at again by the stick. Dodging it, she swung at his feet and managed to trip him up. Shang got back on his feet and was about to hit Mulan when someone yelled for them.

"Shang! Mulan!"

They both turned to see Tiao Zao running towards them. When he got to them, they both saw he was crying.

"Little Flea? What is it?" Mulan said, reaching out to him.

"Yeah, what's up Flea Boy?" Shang asked. Mulan glared at him.

"It's Chien-Po," Tiao Zao sobbed. Shang's grin disappeared immediately. "They think he's dying now,"

"What?" Mulan gasped. Shang's face went pale.

"Come on," Shang reached over andscooped Tiao Zao up. He began to run back to the Palace, Mulan next to him.

-----

They shot through the corridors, not bothering to say 'sorry' when they barged into people.

"Where's everyone else?" Shang asked Tiao Zao.

"They're outside his room. The doctor won't let anyone in," Tiao Zao said, sobbing.

Shang ran ahead with Tiao Zao in his arms, Mulan slightly behind.

Then she stopped. She was looking down a corridor which opened out onto a balcony. She could hear Shang's disappearing footsteps but she chose not to follow him to where Chien-Po lay, dying.

She walked forward and out onto the balcony, recognizing it as the one where she had nursed Tao. In the middle of the balcony, lay two white flowers with three petals on each of them.

_A/N: You should get what the white flowers mean...and if you don't go back and read the chapter again. And it turns out I did update before Christmas...so yay! So...Have a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!!! - Ellie xxx_


	17. Flowers of Life

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – Flowers of Life**

Dedicated to: My special group of four friends (not including me) who are currently going through a bad patch – friendship wise (that includes me…eep)

_A/N: YAY OVER 200 REVIEWS!_

_So BIG BIG BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed any of the chapters I've written. WOOHOOO!_

_Okay…VERY VERY VERY VERY sorry for not updating in like a month! I had no energy or enthusiasm to write and the amount of work I've had has been…a lot! So I want to say thank you to everyone who has waited for this chapter. I hope you like it….please review anyway!_

"Thank god you're here!" Fung said when Shang and Tiao Zao arrived next to them outside Chien-Po's room. There were 11 people clustered around the door, anxiously waiting for any news.

The whole Gang, except Chien-Po, were there as were the Emperor, Ming Hua, Fa Li, Grandma Fa and, surprisingly, Shang's brother, Jun Dui.

"Jun Dui?" Shang said, ignoring Fung and moving past the pack to his elder brother. "How come you're here?"

"I heard about Chien-Po's illness,"

"Huh? I didn't even know you knew Chien-Po,"

Jun Dui raised his eyebrows. "Shang…I'm married to his sister,"

Shang flushed and the Gang sniggered, despite the serious situation. "Oh yeah…"

"You didn't know the wife of your brother?" Yao smirked.

"Shut up," Shang growled. He looked back at Jun Dui. "How come you're here?" He repeated.

"Tian Shi asked me to bring her here," Jun Dui said. "She's in there now with Chien-Po and her parents,"

"Oh," Shang said. He looked around him. _"Angel…what a name,"_

Jun Dui looked tired, his shoulders were slumped and he was leaning heavily against the wall. Tiao Zao was still crying and he was being cradled by Fung. Yao was standing by Fung's elbow, his bottom lip quivering. Shui Jing was leaning against Ling; she was crying quietly and Ling's face was pale. Ming Hua and the Emperor looked…normal. They looked exactly the same as they did on the day of the Hun executions _(A/N: Chapter 9)._

"_It's probably the royalty's way of dealing with death," _Shang thought to himself. He looked over at Mulan's mother and grandmother. They were pale-faced and Fa Li was sitting down on the floor. _"Speaking of Mulan…"_ He looked around. _"Where the hell is she?" _"Where's Mulan?" He asked.

"Mulan? I thought she was with you!" Yao said.

"She was!" Shang replied. "Oi, Flea Boy!" He demanded.

Tiao Zao looked up and glared at Shang. "What?" He snapped, through his tears.

"Mulan came with us, didn't she?"

"How the hell am I meant to know?" Tiao Zao argued. "I was with you!"

"Did you see her?" Shui Jing asked. Tiao Zao turned to her.

"I only saw her running behind us. Then Shang started to pick up speed and I lost sight of her," He said.

"Of all the times to get lost!" Shang snapped, striding off.

"Where are you going?" Shui Jing called after him.

"I'm going to find her, what do you think?" He snapped again.

Jun Dui rolled his eyes at his younger brother before hurrying after him.

-

"Mulan!" Shang yelled. He ran down the corridor, his breath coming out in pants and his fists swinging. He show down corridors, swerved around corners whilst yelling his head off. Just when he had given up hope of finding her, he caught sight of her, kneeling on a balcony and staring up at the sky. "Mulan!"

She turned to look at him. "Shang?" She half-whispered.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled, running down the corridor towards her. "Chien-Po's dying! What are you doing?"

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking about…time," She said, stroking the flowers and smiling. Shang's eyebrows shot up.

"Time? There is no time to think about time! We don't have the time!" Shang snapped, grabbing her arm and hauling her up. Laughter drifted to their ears and they both turned to see Jun Dui, leaning against the wall and laughing.

"Jun Dui?" Mulan asked, astonished. "How come you're here?"

Ignoring her, Jun Dui turned to Shang. "What was that?"

"What?"

"The thing about time!"

"What?"

Jun Dui shook his head. "You've changed so much, little brother,"

Shang glared at him and then his attention was caught by two white flowers that Mulan was holding. He snatched them from her hand.

"Hey!" She yelled, reaching out to take them back.

"What are these?" He demanded, waving the flowers in her face.

"They're flowers, arse! What else could they be?"

"Where did you get them from?"

"They were lying on the balcony!" She yelled. She reached over to grab them but Shang moved them out of her grasp.

"So? What's so special about them?"

"I don't know!"

"Snap out of it Mulan! One of your best friends is dying and you're sitting on a balcony and admiring two flowers! For god's sake!" Shang shouted, throwing the flowers over the balcony.

To Mulan, they took an age to fall, just like the blade at the Hun execution. Her mouth fell open and as the flowers disappeared from view, she ran over to the side of the balcony and watched them fall, her hand outstretched.

"They're flowers Mulan! I didn't think you were that girly!"

Mulan turned to him, furious. "If they're just flowers, why did you chuck them over the fucking balcony?" She reached up to him and slapped his cheek, leaving a red hand mark. Her fingers were printed on his cheek. Jun Dui sniggered.

"Excuse me!" Shang yelled.

"Listen to me! Ever since you became General you've become so up-yourself it's been horrible to be around you! You're head's so swollen I'm surprised you haven't fallen over with the weight of it! You always think you're right, you always think violence solves any problem! There are other solutions, Shang and you're not always right! You don't listen to people either!" She yelled.

Shang froze to the spot.

"Those flowers were special! They were from Tao! They could save Chien-Po!" She went on.

Shang's blood boiled at Tao's name. The competition between the two of them for Mulan's heart was, at the moment, only known to Shang but Shang was, now,determined to find the man and solve their problem, once and for all.

"Tao! How can you trust him? He was a Hun! That could be some sort of poison!"

"He was a Hun! Note the past tense, Shang! He's not anymore! He's an Imperial! He's always been an Imperial; he was just kidnapped when he was young! How would you like that Shang? What if you were just taken from your family, your friends and your life? I don't think you'd care; you'd just like the idea of being a big man with a title and swaggering around with your sword and saying 'How great am I?' You're such a jerk, Shang! You disgust me!" She yelled before storming off the balcony and down the corridor.

Shang's face was bright red, angry at her and embarrassed at having his faults made public to the upper floors as her voice was incredibly loud for such a small person.

Furious, he turned to Jun Dui, who's eyebrows were raised. He had not moved from his slouching position.

"Did you hear that?" He demanded.

Jun Dui's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "No, I didn't Shang,"

Shang punched Jun Dui in the face. "Do you think I'm in the mood for your flipping sarcasm?"

-

"Mama! Mama!" Mulan skidded to a half infront of her mother and flung herself into her mother's outstretched arms, almost crushing the ball in front of her.

"Careful, you're squashing the baby," Fa Li said, gently pushing Mulan away from her. Mulan ignored her mother's comment and looked around to the little crowd of people who had surged towards and around her.

"Mulan? Where were you?" Yao rasped. He had been crying; his throat was partially blocked and his eyes were red.

Mulan shook her head, not wanting to go into details. "I was busy. How is he?"

When no one answered, she began to freak.

"Is he okay? Oh my god, he's died! He's all alone and he's died! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh god! Someone help him! Go and get help him! I have to go! He needs me!" Mulan blurted out, running for the door. Ling and Shui Jing grabbed her arms and Fung scooped her up, one arm around her waist. Mulan let out a wail.

"Put me down!"Mulan said, hitting Fung with her fists.

"Calm down!" Fung said, placing her back on her feet. "You're just a little hysterical,"

"'Little'?" Yao remarked. Tiao Zao kicked his shin. "Ow! Son of a bitch!"

"Shut it Yao," Shui Jing snapped.

"Your grief is making you hysterical," Ming Hua said, clutching Tiao Zao's hand. "You have to breathe and calm down,"

"Easier said than done," Mulan said. Her face was taken over by a woebegone look. Fung put his arm around her.

"Be brave," The Emperor spoke up. "We all have to,"

"How can we?" Ling asked.

"I do not know. We can all be brave in different ways," The Emperor said. "You have to find your own way,"

Mulan walked off. She wandered aimlessly down the corridor, ignoring Fung's protests for her to come back. At the end of corridor, she turned right and stood out on another balcony, letting the air cool her down. Then something white caught her eye.

Sitting on the balcony rail, were two white flowers with three petals each.

Mulan walked over to them, unsure whether they were real or it was just her mind playing tricks on her. _"I thought Shang threw these over the side of the balcony,"_ She thought. She reached out and ran her fingers over the petals of one of them. They felt smooth and rubbery at the same time.

Scooping them up, she ran down the corridor, around the corner and squeezed through the crowd of people outside Chien-Po's door. She pushed the door open and burst into the room.

-

The doctor looked up, his face angry.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. Mulan ignored him, her gaze drawn to the lump on the bed.

Chien-Po was lying there, wearing no shirt and his blanket came up to his chest. His face was white, actual chalk-white. His eyes were swollen and his forehead glistened with sweat.

"Chien-Po…" She whispered, the two flowers being crushed in her grasp.

"What are you doing here? No one is allowed in here except family!" The doctor hissed.

"Mulan, get the hell out of there!" Fung snapped, from the doorway. The rest of the group, except Ming Hua and the Emperor, were clustered around the door-frame, wanting to get a glimpse of their friend.

"Chien-Po!" Tiao Zao yelled, frantically. He rushed forward but was held back by a sobbing Shui Jing.

"Please!" The doctor snapped. "Everybody out!"

"No…" Mulan whispered.

"Mulan, for god's sake!" Ling said.

"Mulan, get back!" Ming Hua said.

"Give these to him," Mulan said, holding out the flowers to the doctor. He raised his eyebrows and looked doubtfully at them.

"What are they?"

"I don't know. Just give them to him, please!"

"What are they?" He repeated.

"I don't fucking know!" Mulan yelled. "Are you deaf?"

"Mulan!" Shui Jing cried.

"Please!" She said, her voice faltering. "They were given to me by a friend, they can help him, I know they can…"

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, no. He's far too ill and I have no idea what they're going to do to him,"

Mulan burst into tears. Grandma Fa went over to comfort her while Fung strode into the room, took the flowers from Mulan's hand hand and forced them into the doctor's hand. "Just do it, okay?"

The doctor was far more frightened by Fung than Mulan. He, like most of the male population, thought that men were superior to women and didn't like it that Mulan could sometimes order him around. He was not the same doctor as the one who had treated Mulan after the Hun battle, that doctor had left soon after for family purposes.

He took the flowers and walked over to the furthest corner of the room. He placed the flowers in a bowl, added some water and placed it over the fire to boil slowly. _(A/N: I don't know if this actually boils them, but go with me)_

"Please hurry," Shui Jing begged. She was being cradled by Ling, as was Mulan by her grandmother. Fa Li stood by herself, running her hands over her unborn child. Fung stood next to Tiao Zao, who was sobbing loudly. The Emperor and Ming Hua remained outside.

-

"Didn't you hear the insults she yelled at me?"

"Yes I did, Shang," Jun Dui said. "I don't think you should worry about them,"

"What! Why not?"

"I'll tell you why. It's because your best friend is dying. It's because you're worried about you and Mulan's relationship while he's struggling for life. It's because you can do all your arguing with her and me later but you can't afford to now. It's because you may have a chance of having a future with Mulan, however slight you think that is, while Chien-Po will have no future within an hour. His parents will have no son, his sister, my wife, will have no brother and his friends would have lost him forever," Jun Dui said.

Shang didn't say anything but turned on his heel and sprinted back up the corridor. Jun Dui let a smile drift briefly over his face before following him.

-

The doctor dipped a cloth into the flower mixture and gently wiped Chien-Po's forehead with it. Minutes passed while the doctor rubbed the mixture into Chien-Po's face, neck and chest.

Mulan's tears had stopped and she was now in the hiccoughing stage. However, Tiao Zao's had redoubled as had Shui Jing's. The crying was now starting to get slightly on Fung's nerves but he kept his opinions hidden.

"Now we wait," The doctor said. He settled back down in his chair. Mulan sank down onto a sofa while Fung and Tiao Zao settledeither side of her.

"What do you reckon is going to happen?" Yao said.

"He'll get better," Mulan stubbornly replied.

Yao looked over at Fung, who shrugged slightly. _"She's getting false hopes," Yao thought. _"I don't think there'll be a morning for Chien-Po now,"

"Stop being so bloody negative!" Mulan snapped, elbowing him.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Yao wondered.

"I'm not a fucking mind-reader, am I?" Mulan demanded. Her stress and grief for Chien-Po was giving her severe mood swings.

"Mulan, shut up," Fung snapped, glaring at her. "That goes for you two, as well," Fung said, frowning at the wailing Shui Jing and Tiao Zao.

"It's not her fault!" Ling snapped, standing up for her.

"I know it isn't but look, none of us are wailing like cats being drowned," Fung replied, waspishly.

Ling was about to insult Fung with a variety of different names but, thankfully, Shang and Jun Dui burst into the room.

"What's going on?" Jun Dui demanded. He looked around. "Where's his family? Where's Tian Shi?" He demanded, fear mounting inside him for his wife.

"They went for a walk," Ming Hua said. He had finally allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and was edging into the room.

"A walk? What? At a time like this?" Jun Dui said, disbelievingly. "You're kidding!"

"Please!" The doctor demanded. "I must insist on silence! You shouldn't even be here so please can you go outside if you wish to talk or, if you are to remain here, you must be silent!"

"Sorry," They all whispered. They settled down in various chairs while Fa Li took up more than one space on a sofa because of her growing stomach. Mulan still felt sick whenever she saw it.

Minutes passed and Chien-Po's family came back. Jun Dui jumped up and enveloped his wife in a bear-hug, her tears pouring down onto his shoulders. Fung had to resist from rolling his eyes.

Chien-Po's parents remained outside with the Emperor as the Emperor was talking to them about dealing with the grief. They were both taking it well, in Fung's opinion. They both looked shocked, obviously, but neither were crying. But what they lacked in tears, their daughter made up for. She was louder than Tiao Zao and Shui Jing together.

The atmosphere had been full of tension but ever since Tian Shi arrived, it had gone from being a relatively thoughtful state to a crying and emotional one as Shui Jing and Tiao Zao had started crying again. Fung sighed.

Shang looked over at Chien-Po and could feel tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. He never realised how much he was going to miss Chien-Po, he was such a big part of all their lives.

Shang looked around at everyone clustered into the tiny room and began to wonder how his life would be without them.

Tian Shi…he didn't know her at all so he would not miss hermuch if she left.

Jun Dui…he'd be lost without his older brother…his mentor, his role-model…his best friend _(A/N: In the family way)_

Shui Jing…despite all the remorse he was feeling towards her for taking the mickey out of him and generally annoying him, he knew that he would miss her a lot. _"I'd probably get over it in a few months," _He thought.

Ling…the crazy, girl-chasing man…he'd miss Ling a lot if he left. He'd probably get over him in about a year but he'd be miserable without him. He had seen beneath Ling's loud-mouth shell and knew that Ling had an emotional and personal side to him also. That single thing made him relate to Shang more than any one else in the group.

Yao…he'd miss Yao, full stop. The violence part of him made him similar to Shang but he had a kind side to him also. He'd be lonely without Yao.

Tiao Zao…like Shui Jing, he found Tiao Zao annoying but knew he'd miss him tremendously if he was gone. He brought an element of liveliness to the group with his childish habits that they couldn't get anywhere else. He was so care-free; he had almost no worries and could cheer them all up with his sunny personality.

Ming Hua…he did not know Ming Hua, almost at all so he'd miss him in the political way, not personal. He'd feel a loss for the Empire but not for himself.

Fa Li…he didn't know Fa Li very well either, but he knew that Mulan would be heart-broken for the loss of her mother so he'd feel sorry for her too. He'd get over her in a few months.

Grandma Fa…she was insane, that's all. That's what he loved most about her.

Fung…he felt a stabbing pain, just thinking about it. He'd be torn without Fung...he was the best friend any one could ever ask for.

Mulan…he tried to think of her gone-but he couldn't. It was unimaginable; he couldn't imagine life without her, he'd just…die or fade away.  
Thinking of how his life would be without Mulan made a whole reel of images flash into his head: marrying someone he didn't love, having a child that was born to parents who did not love each other and dying as an old man without his steady Mulan with him. That was it…an image of him standing by himself with a blank space next to him…where Mulan should be.

"_I love her,"_ He told himself. _"Everyone's right...you have to tell her before she slips through your fingers and goes with someone else,"_

He looked over at Chien-Po and frowned. "What?" He peered at his friend's face, which was losing it's whiteness.

"What?" Fung said, looking over.

"What's happening to him?" Shang said, pointing to Chien-Po's face.

"It's clearing!" Mulan cried.

"Out the way!" The doctor demanded, pushing people out the way. He leaned forward and listened to Chien-Po's heartbeat and began to smile. "His heartbeat is growing stronger and more rapid…I think he's getting better,"

Mulan let out a whoop and crushed Fung in a bear-hug. Tiao Zao clung to Fung's hip and began to cheer, as well as the rest of the room.  
Shang looked over at Mulan and marvelled at the difference of her face. The dull look that had previously in her eyes was replaced by the normal dancing lights and her face was slowly going back it's natural colour: peachy skin and rosy cheeks.

"Shh!" The doctor said, a finger to his lips.

They crowded around the bed and watched in amazement as Chien-Po's eyelids fluttered open.

"Oh my god…" Shui Jing whispered. "You're all right! You're okay!" She breathed, tears again streaming down his cheeks.

"How are you?" Fung asked Chien-Po. Chien-Po gave a weak smile, hidden underneath people who were hugging him.

"I feel as if I've been in a dream and all I've done is woken up," He said quietly. "It's very surreal…I can speak now when I couldn't before," He smiled again, weakly.

"You're okay…" Mulan repeated, her face embedded in Chien-Po's body. _"Thank you Tao…"_

_A/N: What a short chapter…and almost nothing happened in it! Oh well! I'm sorry if this chapter was a big disappointment if you've been waiting long…I'm really sorry… : ( _

_So please leave a review and any comments, good or bad, would be very nice. Thanks – Ellie xxx_


	18. Betting

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people._

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – Betting**

Dedicated to: JoEbLoG, you leave the funniest reviews! Thank you!

_A/N: I have not updated for months and months! I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I really am! But I really didn't have the enthusiasm to write, but now I do! I'm so sorry to people who have been waiting for ages. I really am :(_

"How many months are you now?" Chien-Po asked Fa Li.

"About six," Fa Li replied, running her hands over the bump in front of her. "I know Mulan's still not taking it very well but I'm very excited," She paused, "That doesn't sound very good, does it?"

"It depends what side you're looking from," Chien-Po reasoned. "You're excited because you're going to have another child. You feel excited for your mother-in-law having another grandchild and for Mulan as she'll have a sister,"

"It doesn't sound good," Fa Li insisted.

"Only if you look at the child as the product of a rape, being born to a woman whose husband is now deceased and the eldest son of the Emperor and whose half-sister is the heroine of China who people either hate or like," Fung said, looking up from a scroll he was reading. He was nestled in a chair in the corner of the room, apparently ignoring the conversation that Chien-Po and Fa Li were holding.

Fa Li glared at him. "What?" She snapped.

Chien-Po sniggered. Fa Li glared at him. "Sorry," He muttered.

"Seriously," Fung said, getting up and walking over to a chair opposite Fa Li. "Most people are going to look at it the way I just described,"

"They don't know that the father is Tao," Chien-Po said.

"Yeah, so?" Fung said. "They will either think that Fa Li had a child with Fa Zhou and Fa Zhou was killed or they will guess that she's been raped,"

"I don't think people will think of that," Chien-Po said.

"How do you know? People nowadays are crazy, they'll assume anything," Fung went on.

"You are not helping Fung!" Fa Li snapped, suddenly angry.

"Hormones…" Chien-Po hissed.

-----

"Just keep calm," Tiao Zao said. He held out Shang's cape. "How you doing?"

"Freaking out," Shang stuttered.

They were in Shang's room. Shang had decided that he wanted to tell Mulan how he felt about her but he was now having doubts.

"I can't do this," He said, taking his cape from Tiao Zao's outstretched hand.

"Yes you can," Tiao Zao snapped.

"No I can't," Shang miserably said, dropped the cape and covering his face with his hands.

"What did we just talk about?" Tiao Zao glared at him.

Shang looked up. "Nothing," He started but then deflated under Tiao Zao's penetrating gaze. "I told you why I wanted to tell Mulan I love her,"

"And why do you want to?"

"Because I'll regret later if I don't,"

"Yeah! There we go!" Tiao Zao cheered. "So just be positive,"

Shang nodded and stood up. "You're right. I can do this," He puffed his chest out and strode out the room.

Tiao Zao watched him go and waited until Shang reappeared, grabbed the cape from the ground and hurried out the room.

-----

"50,"

"100,"

"200,"

"500,"

"1000!" Mushu snapped. "How far are we going to go up?"

Cri-Kee shrugged. "As far as you're willing to lose,"

"I am not going to lose!" Mushu yelled, blowing fire at Cri-Kee, whose antennae burst into flames. A satisfied Mushu watched as the terrified cricket jumped around, waving his head around in an effort to put the fire out. He finally put the fire out by jumping into the pitcher of water sitting on the table.

The door opened and Fung, Ling, Yao and Shui Jing came in.

"Hey guys," Mushu said. Cri-Kee chirruped from inside the water jug.

"Hey, what's happening?" Fung said, collapsing onto a chair.

"Nothing much. How's Chien-Po?" Mushu asked.

"He's getting a lot better," Yao said. "Give him a week and he'll be up and about,"

"Seriously? A week? That's really quick," Mushu said, watching Cri-Kee clamber out the water jug.

"Yeah, it's really amazing," Ling said. "Those flowers were a miracle,"

"You're a mean dragon," Cri-Kee snapped at Mushu.

"Who me?"

"What?" Shui Jing asked.

"Oh, the lucky bug jumped into the water jug because I set his antennae on fire because he said I was going to lose the bet,"

"What bet?" Shui Jing asked.

"We're wondering whether Mulan's sibling will be a boy or a girl. Lucky Bug says girl, I say boy,"

"Guys! That's horrible! You can't bet on flesh and blood!" Shui Jing said. "That's disgusting!" She got up and stormed out the room.

"She still thinks morals are important?" Mushu scorned. "That girl is way behind times,"

"I'll take that bet," Fung said. "I bet you it'll be a girl,"

"Hey, wait! Am I betting both of you? A bug and a guy?" Mushu protested.

"Tell you what," Ling said. "Let's split into two groups, boy and girl. We pool all our money and which ever team loses, they have to double their money and give it to the other team, who split it,"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Yao said. "What about your girlfriend?"

"We're not courting," Ling said hurriedly.

Yao sniggered. "I actually meant how come she's gone off and you haven't followed her offering her comfort?"

"I need a bit of money. Besides, as long as neither Mulan nor her mother find out, we're okay!"

"Huh?"

"Fine. I have no morals or principles," Ling said truthfully.

"There you go!" Mushu said, applauding him. Cri-Kee, Fung and Yao joined in.

"Okay then, well there's five of us," Mushu said. "That's not divisible by two,"

"Who else could we add?" Yao asked.

"What about Jun Dui?" Ling asked.

"Nah, he's too like Shang," Fung spoke up. "He has morals,"

"Tiao Zao?" Ling suggested.

"What if Ming Hua hears?" Fung asked.

"He'll freak," Yao said.

"Grandma Fa!" Ling said suddenly.

"That's not a bad idea…" Yao said. "She'll be up for it,"

"She's the baby's grandmother," Fung said. "She might be against it, the woman is smart"

"You think? This morning, she walked around the Palace with her eyes shut, preparing herself if she goes blind. She only stopped when she walked straight down the Palace stairs, tripped and fell into a bush," Ling said.

Mushu burst out laughing. "Isaw her walking around this morning. I just thought she was sleepwalking,"

"At ten o'clock in the morning?"

"She must have gone to bed really late!" Mushu said.

"Guys! Guys!" Yao said. "We got to get going on this bet. How much?"

"Lucky Bug and I got up to 1000," Mushu said.

"I can't afford that!" Yao whined.

"You think we can?" Mushu said scornfully.

Fung started to laugh. Everyone looked at him.

"What?"

"This is nice, you know? Us guys, just hanging out and talking,"

"Huh? We're not all here, Shang, Mulan and Shui Jing aren't here," Ling said.

"I know and it would be the same with Mulan and Shang as we're the original lot," He turned to Ling, "Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Shui Jing I just don't prefer it went it's just us, you know?"

"I know,"

------

"Hey, Mulan…?" Shang started.

Shang had been planning the confession since the morning. It was the day after Chien-Po's recovery and Shang's brain had been working furiously during the night to find a good way to tell Mulan he loved her. He kept reminding himself he had to do it now, the whole Chien-Po and losing friends thing had really sped the process up.

"Hmm?" Mulan answered but she hadn't fully heard what he said. She was looking at the water reeds she was braiding into long plaits but not really seeing them. She was seeing the reflection of Tao pulling the white flowers from the ground and pocketing them.

"I…er…um…"

They were sitting by the lake in the Palace Gardens. Shang had suggested Mulan get away from the Palace to get a bit of fresh air. Mulan reluctantly agreed, she wanted to stay with Chien-Po and, with Tiao Zao, find out how Ling and Shui Jing were doing. Yao was with Ming Hua, helping the doctor fill in the medical forms for Chien-Po and his illness.

"Hmm?" She replied, still not fully woken up from her reverie.

"Mulan?" He bent down, peering at her face. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," She looked up, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"_Okay…this is it,"_ "Mulan…"

"Yes?"

"I…I think I'm falling in love with you. I mean, I have fallen in love with you. Not falling. Fallen. As in, now I am. Fallen. You know?" Shang's cheeks flushed and his mouth went very dry._ "Great Shang, mumble your way through your big confession,"_

Mulan's mouth dropped slightly and her cheeks reddened. "What?"

"I love you. Not as a friend, as in love. You mean the world to me, you are my world. You…cheer me up when I'm sad, you give me encouragement when I need it and you console me when things that I really want don't happen the way they should, or I want." Shang's voice grew stronger and more confident as he went on.

"You bring the light into my dark world, you change everything when you come into a room. Your smile can cheer me up and you're perfect in every way. Being around you makes me so happy, happier than I thought I could really ever be.

"You mean more to me than anyone has ever. You're my best friend, you're my confidant and I love you so much."

Silence.

"Wow," Mulan breathed out. "I had no idea you felt that,"

"I'm sorry," Shang said, looking crestfallen.

"What for?"

"For embarrassing you and saying all this stuff… I'm such a jerk, I'm…I'm just…I'm going to go," Shang jumped up hurriedly and hurried off before Mulan could react.

"_What? What was that? Why did he just leave?"_ Mulan thought frantically, watching Shang disappear. _"Go after him, you stupid girl!"_ Her conscious snapped.

"Shang! Shang!" Mulan scrambled up and ran after him, the hidden pebbles nipping her feet making her wince. "Wait!"

"What?" He said sullenly, not looking at her. _"I really thought this would be it. I'd tell her how much I love her and she'd tell me she felt the same way. Of course, I should have seen that she'd shoot me down. I was right all along, why did I listen to the rest of the guys!"_

"Look at me," Mulan said softly. Shang looked up at her, his frown softening at her smile. "I didn't say I didn't love you. Why did you run off?"

"I was embarrassed," He replied. _"That was so lame," _

"Why?"

"I thought you shot me down,"

"No I didn't," Mulan smiled. She reached over and took Shang's hand. "I never told you because…I always thought you deserved better than me. I mean, you're a General and you're a really respectable man. I thought your reputation would be lowered by…well by me. I love you Shang,"

"You love me?" Shang repeated in disbelief. His mood changed abruptly from the despair in his stomach to light-headedness and clouds in his head.

Mulan smiled gently, but inside her heart was pounding and butterflies were flying around her stomach.

"Yes,"

-----

"Guys! Guys!" Tiao Zao burst into the room, his cheeks red and a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Just a minute," Ling said, not looking up.

The Gang , Mushu and Cri-Kee were clustered around a table, all their heads down. Fung was counting something and Mushu was rubbing his hands together.

"What are you doing?" Tiao Zao asked.

"Counting," Yao murmured when no one else did.

"Well, I got great news!" Tiao Zao said excitedly. No one looked around. "People!"

"Hmm?" Yao said.

"Oh well…" Tiao Zao sighed. "I guess no one is really interested in Shang telling Mulan he loves her,"

The reaction from the Gang, Mushu and Cri-Kee was incredible. The table holding many gold coins toppled over in Yao's desperate attempt to get across it to the balcony. Fung abandoned his counting and shoved Ling out the way to follow Yao to the balcony. Mushu had a sudden coughing fit, allowing sparks to fly out of his mouth and Cri-Kee had to pay another trip to the water jug.

"Where? Where?" Yao frantically asked.

All six of them were facing different directions on the balcony, each trying to see where Shang and Mulan were. They had all seen Mulan wandering in the garden earlier and they knew that she wouldn't have left it yet.

"Here!" Ling yelled, jumping up and down, his arm pointing at the figures, ting amongst all the green.

"Has he done it?" Tiao Zao demanded, trying to force Fung out the way so he could get a good view.

Yao was hanging by his hands over the balcony, all his weight forward. Mushu was perched on his shoulder and Cri-Kee was standing on Ling's head, jumping up and down in his annoyance at not being able to see anything. The continuous bouncing would have annoyed Yao but he was too preoccupied at watching the two figures to notice or mind.

------

Shang pulled Mulan into a hug and smiled at the familiar scent of flowers. He gently brushed his lips against the top of her head and felt Mulan hold him tighter. He could feel the tears welling up inside him and blinked rapidly to stop them from falling on her glossy black head.

The moment was broken by a loud amount of cheering. They broke apart from the embrace and looked up to the Gang leaning over the balcony's rail, whooping and yelling. Fung's long arms were waving frantically, Mushu was blowing flames in celebration, Tiao Zao was jumping up and down, Ling's laughter was broken with snorts and Yao finished it off with a continuous round of wolf whistles.

"So you finally did it!" Ling yelled.

"'Finally'?" Mulan turned to Shang, her eyebrows raised. He grinned awkwardly.

"Come up here!" Tiao Zao called.

-----

"What's that?" Fa Li looked up at the sound of yelling. Chien-Po shrugged. "It sounds like shouting," She pondered.

Chien-Po shook his head at the stupidity of the elder woman. He immediately stopped the action when he realised how disrespectful it was but Fa Li didn't notice him.

"I better go have a look," She said. She was in the process of pushing the door open when she stopped, clutched her stomach with both hands and her face contorted in pain.

"Madam Li? What is it?" Chien-Po said, sitting up sharply.

"I-I…" Fa Li didn't manage to get any words out before she staggered back and toppled back on the sofa.

"Are you having pains?" Chien-Po asked hurriedly, hoping to confirm his suspicions.

"No, this is how I act when I feel totally relaxed," Fa Li snapped angrily, breathing heavily.

"I think you're about to have your baby," Chien-Po went on.

"I think I know! I've had one before!" Fa Li cried. She pushed herself up and tottered over to the door. "I have to go to the doctor,"

"I'll come with you," Chien-Po said, pulling himself out of the bed.

"No, you can't. You're too weak," Fa Li protested.

Chien-Po ignored her and swung his legs out of the warm covers and winced as they touched the cold floor. He gingerly pushed himself up and his legs instantly felt like lead. He dragged one foot forward and discovered it took all of his strength to move.

"No, get back into bed. You're too weak," Fa Li insisted.

"I am taking you to the doctor," Chien-Po snapped.

"Okay," Fa Li agreed. "We better hurry," She wobbled out the door, clutching her stomach and pulling faces at the pain.

-----

The Emperor sat in his library, reading a scroll but nothing was going into his mind. He was restless and began to wish he had some company. He rolled the scroll up and tied it with a red ribbon, adjusting the lengths to make them even. He walked around the table and was about to leave the room when he heard a slight thud. He turned around.

A man stood in front of the window. The window was small and at the top of the wall but the man had somehow managed to get through it.

The man wore a brown cloak. His matted brown hair was in clumps and was messily bouncing on his shoulders. Scratches could be seen on his arms and legs, blood still slightly dripping.

His face would have been a very handsome one if it was not covered in scratches and scars. He had a stern mouth, sharp nose and coruscating eyes.

"What are you doing here?" The Emperor asked him.

"I've been here for two days," The man replied.

"Why?"

"I had to help out an old friend," The man said, his voice catching in his throat.

-----

After five minutes of being interrogated, Mulan and Shang had exhausted the questions aimed at them and settled back on the sofa, Shang's arm around Mulan's shoulders.

"Do you reckon we ought to tell people now?" Tiao Zao asked.

"I guess you could," Fung said, his eyebrows lowered. "Yeah, I don't see why not,"

"I'm so happy for you babes. This is such a good day for you! It benefits me also!" Mushu said, sitting in Mulan's lap, basking in their happiness.

"Huh?"

"Think about it. You're in love with some guy from a good family. This is a good thing for the Great Ancestor, see?"

"What?" Shang snapped, angry at being called 'some guy'.

The door burst open.

"What are you doing up?" Fung said, hurrying over to the exhausted Chien-Po.

"What's going on?" Mulan asked, scrambling out her seat and helping Fung lower Chien-Po into a seat. Chien-Po was out of breath and his face was red.

"It's your mother," He panted, looking worriedly at Mulan.

Mulan froze. "What? What's wrong with her?" She demanded.

"She's having the baby," Chien-Po wheezed. Fung pushed Chien-Po's head between his legs, into the recovery position.

Mulan snatched up Mushu and Cri-Kee and flew out the room, slamming the door behind her.

Shang watched her go. "Did she just pick the dragon over me?" He said, turning to the Gang.

"Yeah," Ling nodded. "How's it feel coming in second to a dragon?"

Tiao Zao looked at them scornfully. "Mulan's mother is having the baby! Come on!" He flung the door open and shot down the corridor. Fung followed him, Yao, Ling and Shang trailing after him.

-----

The next half an hour was the worst Mulan had felt a while. Her blood was turning steadily into ice and she could feel the bitter taste rising in her mouth. She could not bear to be in the waiting room as the doctor forbade anyone to be in the delivery room.

Everyone else was gathered in the waiting room, exchanging awkward conversation. Grandma Fa, Shui Jing, Ming Hua and the Emperor had joined them and were also in the waiting room. Mulan had no wish to sit down so she was pacing up and down outside the doctor's rooms, her palms sweaty and her head blurry. She wasn't aware of anyone watching her until Shang came out.

"Mulan?" He asked. "Don't worry; your mother is going to be fine,"

Mulan looked up at him. "She's a month early! What happens if something happens to her? To the baby? What if they both get ill and then neither of them survive and then it's just me and Grandma and she's not going to be around forever and then it's just me-" She cried before bursting into tears. She could feel the water flowing down her cheeks, she could feel her vision becoming more and more unclear, she could feel Shang's strong arms around her, and she could hear Shang's crooning words of comfort and reassurance but she did not feel any better.

She kept on babbling nonsense, wanting to get everything out. "I've been so horrible to her. I haven't asked her how she is, I haven't even acknowledged her or the baby's presence!"

"It's going to be okay. Let it all out now and then talk to your mother later. She loves you, she'll forgive you and then you'll feel much better. It's natural to find it strange that your mother is pregnant, it's always a shock. You'll be fine,"

"She's been in there for ages! What is something really bad-" Mulan wept.

Shang held her for a few more minutes before she broke apart, brushing the remaining tears away and regained her original state. "You're right. There's no need to cry," Her voice faltered but she shook her head.

Shang looked at her worriedly. "Mulan, are you hiding your feelings again?"

"Will you get me some water?" She asked, avoiding the question.

Shang nodded and gave her a strange look before disappearing back into the doctor's room.

Mulan sank down onto the floor and miserably drew a shape on the floor with her finger. She felt really hot and cold at the same time and it was all she could do not to burst into tears again. Her foot started to feel fuzzy so she waggled it around.

"Cramp?" A voice said.

Mulan glanced up and stared at the man.

"Tao?" She whispered, bewildered.

Tao smiled at her. "Long time no see, huh?"

She remembered that smile so well. The one that made her feel weak at the knees…and still did.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, walking slowly over to him. She wasn't sure whether she was daydreaming.

The doctor's door opened and Shang came out, holding a glass of water. He noticed Tao straight away, recognised straight away and felt the same anger and jealousy as he always did but now, he also felt satisfied at having Mulan love him and not Tao.

"To be honest…I was kind of hoping to see my child," Tao said softly.

Mulan nodded. Her fingers flexed and she groped around for the first thing she could find. She grabbed the glass of water and flung it at Tao. "You _bastard_!"

_A/N: Well…I hope that chapter was okay. I'm SOOOOO sorry if it isn't very good, especially if you've been waiting long. Please leave a review, good or bad!_


	19. All the Protectors

**Disclaimer:** _I own my own people: Shui Jing, Ming Hua, Tiao Zao, Fung, Jun Dui, Tian Shi and Chien-Po's parents._

**CHAPTER NINETEEN – All the Protectors**

Dedicated to: Everyone who's wanted this chapter for months!

_A/N: Whoa, not updated for four months, give or take. I had almost completed forgotten about this story until I found all my notes about it in my room. I hope you will read this chapter and review it, especially my very loyal reviewers who have reviewed since Chapter One. Thank you!_

_P.S. Also, have scrapped the idea of two parts, when I've just realised I could squish it into one part._

The ten people in the waiting room shot to the door, flung it open and burst into the scene of an angry woman, soaked man and a man sniggering behind his hand.

"Tao!" Ming Hua cried. He pushed past Chien-Po, with difficulty, and flung his arms around Tao, who patted his back and grinned. "I've missed you so much." Ming Hua said, pulling out of the hug. "What happened to you? Why are you here? What have I missed?"

"A lot," Tao smiled. "I've missed you too, little brother,"

"What's going on?" Shui Jing demanded. She looked over at the drenched Tao, who was wiping his face and standing next to a beaming Ming Hua and opposite a raging Mulan. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Tao," Tao replied solemnly, bowing before them.

Shui Jing raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"What are you doing here?" Ling snarled. "Don't you think you've done enough damage?"

The Emperor looked at his eldest son sadly. He felt sorry for him, he knew why he came back, he knew the compassion that lay buried in his heart.

"Tao," The Emperor moved forward, gliding along the ground.

"Father," Tao bowed low to his father.

"Father!" Shui Jing said, confused. She looked to Ling for answers but got none. Ling did not pay the slightest attention to her, and neither did anyone else.

"Do not be hard on my son," The Emperor said, laying a hand on Tao's head. Tao took it as a sign to get up and pulled slowly out of the bow.

"Don't be hard on him?" Mulan yelled indignantly. "'Don't be hard on him!'"

The Emperor nodded.

"Are you friggin' kidding?" Yao roared. "Look at what he's done here! He's the father of Fa Li's child! He's the one who was a Hun and killed so many people! The death of Mulan's father is due to him!"

Tao did not say anything but looked at Mulan, who was red and breathing heavily. Shang laid a hand on her shoulder. Fung got the sense Mulan wanted to shrug it off but refrained from doing so. He had to smile and Mulan couldn't help smiling slightly back.

"Are you all right?"

Mulan felt a tugging at her skirt. She looked at Tiao Zao, who looked perplexed.

"I've been better," She replied.

"Is this your child?" Tao said, gesturing towards Tiao Zao to Ming Hua. Ming Hua nodded proudly.

"This is Tiao Zao." He turned to his son. "Tiao Zao, this is your Uncle Tao,"

"You're my uncle?" Tiao Zao demanded of Tao, who nodded. "The man who raped Mulan's mother, was kidnapped by Huns, threatened Grandpa with a sword and locked all my friends in a dungeon?"

Tao did not reply but the colour drained out of his face. Mulan, despite her anger at him, began to feel increasingly worried.

Ming Hua stared at his son and exploded. "Tiao Zao! Do not talk to your superiors like that! Especially your blood relatives!" He turned to the Gang and ranted at them too. "How dare you expose my son to all these issues that he should know nothing of-!" He broke off, distracted.

Shui Jing had strode up to Tao and slapped him round the face. "You were a Hun?" She glared at him. "You destroyed my village! You killed a hundred innocent people! You burnt women and children to the bone! Don't try and get out of it, I saw their burning bones, the corpses of men who had tried to fight back. Do you have any feeling inside your black heart?"

Tao shook his head. Then he looked up. "I did not destroy your village. I have never destroyed a village, never. I have only ever killed with a sword,"

The Emperor, Ming Hua and Mulan looked worriedly on.

The scene was broken by a maid and a lady running down the corridor then paused when they saw the thirteen people forming a block in the corridor. The lady was pregnant.

They parted, smiling painfully as the maid and lady hurried through to the doctor's room. As soon as the door snapped shut, the attention instantly went back to Tao.

Tao looked over at the group and then paused at Chien-Po. He smiled. "I see you're better, my friend. I'm glad to see that,"

"What? How did you know that I-," Chien-Po stared at Tao. "Did you leave those flowers?"

"I did. They're flowers that are mainly used by Huns. They heal almost everything," Tao said knowledgeably.

Chien-Po looked at him as though he was a god. "I don't know how to thank you, I really don't. You saved my life; I am indebted to you,"

"That is okay, my friend," Tao mustered a smile for Chien-Po, who replied it with a hearty grin.

There was a scream from inside the doctor's room.

-----

The door fell off its hinges as thirteen people charged in, trampled over the remains of the door. Tiao Zao reached the door to where the operation room was and flung it open.

Inside, there were two beds, one with Fa Li lying on it and the other was occupied by the lady who had entered the room later. She lay flat on her bed, the baby held by a maid who was wiping blood of its head. They all looked at as thirteen people stuck their heads around the door frame.

"Excuse me!" The doctor cried. "What are you doing here? I'll have you know, this is a-," He broke off suddenly, due to a cry from the maid with the baby.

"Doctor! Doctor, the baby!" She cried. The doctor bent over him as the mother sat up, clutching her heart as Fa Li looked over in fear too.

The doctor stared in horror and then his face sagged. He ran his fingers over the baby's neck, willing for a pulse. He waited, with baited breath, but when he felt nothing his head collapsed and he could barely look up.

He turned to the lady, who was staring at him. "I'm sorry," He bent his head.

"No!" The lady shrieked before bursting into hysterical crying. Her maid gripped her hand as she sobbed into her other palm.

Mulan's blood turned into ice. She could feel tears falling down her own face and Tiao Zao was trembling in front of her. She felt cold and scared, she had never felt more terrible before. She was intruding in someone's private moment but she could not will her legs to back out the door.

Fa Li began to weep also, her maid bent over her and hugged her. Fa Li clung to her as she were her own daughter. Mulan watched on in sorrowful silence, ignoring Shang's hand trying to curl around her stone fingers. She pushed past him, Fung, Tao and Yao to get to the door before striding through the waiting room and through the doorway with the eyes of Shang, Tao and Fung beating down on her back.

Shang watched her leave, distraughtly. He turned to Fung, wringing his hands together and unwilling to break the silence of sobs.

"Should I go after her?" He asked Fung.

Fung looked at him scornfully. "You shouldn't ask me that," Shang stared at him. "You should already be there," Fung turned away from him to watch Shui Jing snivelling into Ling's shoulder and Tiao Zao weep into Ming Hua's arms. "Like Tao is,"

Shang's head moved quicker than it had ever moved and within a split second he noticed that Tao had gone and he was hurried out the door as fast as lightning before colliding with someone.

"Where are you going?" Grandma Fa asked.

"After Mulan," Shang said, trying to slip past the old woman. She moved in front of him.

"Oh no you don't,"

"What? What do you mean?" Shang snapped frantically. He moved to the left but the old woman got there first.

"I meant what I said, son. Now listen to me," She said sternly.

Shang looked at her hard worn face, creased with wrinkles and worry lines. Yet, buried beneath, the faint remnants of beauty remained and her eyes reminded him too much of Mulan and her burning personality.

"All ears," He replied sarcastically. He heard the phrase in his own head and winced. "I'm sorry ma'am. I did not mean for it to come out like that," He pulled himself up to his full height and the hardened look of the General fell over his features.

"I don't want Mulan to be hurt. So just leave her alone with that Tao person. I don't know who he is or what he's done previously-,"

"He raped your daughter-in-law!" Shang insisted.

Grandma Fa continued on as if she had not heard him. "I don't know what he's done previously but I do not care,"

"You don't care?" Shang cut in hysterically.

"No I don't because I am grateful to him. Let me remind you, General, that when Mulan was at that Hun camp she could have been subjected to different forms of painful torture but, because he was the leader, he stopped that from happening. For that I am grateful, his love protected my granddaughter," Grandma Fa stated simply.

Shang shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "I know. I know he did all that but she doesn't love him in return. Wouldn't it be better for someone who she loved to be there with her, when she was in pain?"

"How do you know she doesn't love him?"

"Because she loves me!" Shang said desperately. The General look gone, it had been taken over by a hysterical red face and round, pleading eyes. "I know she does,"

"It is possible to feel love for more than one person," She replied, looking at his face. "And there are many different kinds of love," She added.

Shang looked at her and sniffed. "What should I do? It seems like…I can do nothing right! I tried so hard to tell her how much I love her and whenever I tried, I couldn't! Then, everyone laughed at me! Now, I've finally managed to tell her and to have her tell me the same…you could not overestimate how happy I was. But look now! Now I'm with her, I can't go after her? I have to wait while someone else goes forth to her?"

Grandma Fa blinked slowly and Shang could feel his eyes brimming.

"I don't understand it. It's so hard to be with her, it strains me every day and everything I do I have to thing about. People say love is spontaneous but it isn't…not for me. I have to work at the relationship and I fear she isn't. It's not me…I can't do this. I don't know how,"

"You know why it's so hard," Grandma Fa said.

"I do. It's just…I'm afraid of saying it to myself," Shang broke down and tears rolled down his face. He dabbed at them with his sleeve. "This isn't me, I don't know why I'm like this," He sniffed.

"The relationship is one-sided, Shang. The love and work is only coming from one side," Grandma Fa sighed. "It won't work,"

"She says she loves me. She says she does and I was so happy…I believed her. I don't know why she did it if she doesn't believe it. It was as if she was…obliged,"

"Obliged," Grandma Fa smiled sadly. "She owed it to you. You had done so much to help her and it was just…expected of her to love you back. So she did. She's a kind child, Mulan; she will give and do what is expected of her, you can have no doubt about that. But now…after the triumph of killing Shan-Yu she had finally experienced carrying out her own free will and doing what she wanted. It was not expected of her to join the army but she did it because she thought it was expected of her, as she was the child of a non able-bodied man in the time of war,"

"I don't want to lose her just when I've finally got her. But, if I carry on like this…I can't. I'd break down," Shang said. "I don't know when it starts,"

"It's started," Grandma Fa smiled and patted Shang's hand. "To be honest, I never thought there was this much to you Shang. I had taken the General cover for granted and assumed that was you all over,"

"Fung used to call me 'The Iceberg'," Shang smiled and then frowned. "As well as 'Biscuit Boy'," He chuckled to himself.

-----

"I wouldn't have believed you were Mulan, if I didn't know your face," Tao folded his arms. "Why have you changed?"

"Lately…I've been much whineier. I keep crying, I keep worrying. I guess I had reasons with the whole Chien-Po thing and then my mother's pregnancy…but…" She stared distressingly into Tao's face. Her dark eyes glinted. "I don't want to be like this! I hate having to complain all the time! I want to be like me, the fun me who laughed at everything! I'd pull pranks on everyone with Fung and Tiao Zao, but look at me now! Have I changed that much?"

They were only a corridor away from Shang and Grandma Fa but neither of their conversations had been heard by the other. Mulan had her arms folded and looked thoroughly put out while Tao was trying to look thoughtful but failing. He looked annoyed.

"I think you have. Some for the better, some for the worse," Tao's eyes were dark and reassuring.

Mulan sat down on the floor, leaning against the soft material of the curtain. She ran the material through her fingers, marvelling at its softness and rich texture.

"Cheer up," A voice came from above her. Tao was standing over her, smiling. "I think the whole reason you're like this is because you've gone through so much it's just bottled up and then over. Like an overfilled bath,"

Mulan burst out laughing. The sweet sound was music to Tao's ears and he could feel his mouth opening into a grin.

"Of course you're still that person, the same person you've always been. If you really want to do something about it, just smile. Laugh, joke…be the person you are. You're not this sad, solitary person who has been apparent lately. That was an act and you know that. You're not like that. You couldn't be,"

Mulan stood up slowly. She smiled at him and as she did, she felt a whole weight lift off her shoulders. The smile was so much more natural; it came and was not forced. Her eyes shone as Tao enveloped her in a hug.

"_How come Tao makes things so much better than Shang does? It just takes a smile from Tao and I feel so much better,"_ Mulan thought as Tao's strong arms held her close.

"Do you still have my pendant?" Tao's voice murmured from her shoulder.

Mulan nodded in reply, the familiar jade lying against her breastbone.

"Mulan?" Tao waited for her to acknowledge he was speaking before carrying on, "I love you,"

-----

What Mulan and Tao had talked about, no one knew or asked when they arrived back in the doctor's rooms.

Mulan had ruffled Tiao Zao's hair before going over to her mother and perching on the stool next to her. Fa Li looked frightened by her daughter, frightened by the stern look in her eyes but was then slightly reassured as they melted into sorrow and remorse.

What Mulan said to her mother for her to be forgiven and for them to be on friendly terms was a mystery to them, even Tao, who had not talked to Fa Li since arriving. There had been one fleeting look between them of recognition but both fell into a blank state and neither of them had looked at the other since.

-----

"Chien-Po!" Tiao Zao cried. "I've gone wrong!"

It was the same evening and Mulan's mother had not given birth.

The group of friends had split and gone their separate ways.

The Emperor, Ming Hua and, at the Emperor's insistence and the Gang's glares, Tao had returned to the Emperor's Suite.

Jun Dui and Tian Shi had excused themselves and retired to their room.

Mulan, Shang, Grandma Fa, The Gang and Shui Jing had wandered back to their common room, a large room where they all gathered for the betting and whenever they were looking for each other. The table with gold coins that had previously been lying on its side with the numerous coins scattered all over the floor had been righted by Fung, who reminded the betting group, and informed Grandma Fa and she agreed to it with absolutely no hesitation, about the bet and the stakes. Mulan had been in the bathroom at this time and Shui Jing and Shang had not arrived in the room.

In order to keep themselves busy and to do something for Fa Li, Mulan suggested they decorate the doctor's room.

FLASHBACK (When they were discussing how to brighten up the doctor's room):

"I think we should paint a mural on the wall," Ling suggested. "A nice big one with a smiley sun," Ling grinned, showing white, crooked teeth. It made him look friendly but, in Mushu's opinion, ridiculous.

"How could we paint a mural on the wall?" Fung asked him incredulously. "The doctor would never let us, not to mention it would be a huge distraction when Fa Li is giving birth,"

"Okay fine!" Ling fired back. "What else can we do?"

"I think we should hang things from the ceiling," Fung said.

"Oh yeah, like that wouldn't get in the way," Ling said scornfully. Fung pushed him off his chair.

"That's a nice idea," Mulan said as Ling surfaced, giving Fung evil looks and death threats under his breath. "I reckon we'd be allowed to do that, provided we took them down when my mother had given birth,"

"Okay…so what could we hang?" Tiao Zao asked.

"Birds!" Yao cried.

Mulan sniggered. "Birds?"

"Birds live in the air! It'll give the impression of flying and the great outdoors!" Yao opened his arms and flapped them.

Tiao Zao squealed with laughter and Fung began to splutter. Shui Jing laughed into her hands at Yao's insane bird act. Chien-Po, however, looked thoughtful.

"Birds would be a nice idea…actually, that would be possible,"

"Yeah? How?" Mushu asked.

"Origami. I can make birds out of paper so I could teach you. Then, we could thread about five on each piece of string and hang them all from the ceiling!" Chien-Po smiled, pleased at being able to suggest a way for Yao to turn his bird idea into a real concept.

"That would be great!" Tiao Zao agreed.

"We'd better start now," Shui Jing said. "I have coloured paper in my room, wait here and I'll go and get it,"

END FLASHBACK

"You've folded the wing wrong," Yao said, peering over. A stack of paper birds sat in front of him on the floor where he was sitting, leaning against the chair which was occupied by Tiao Zao, curled up and annoyed.

"How?" He demanded, brandishing the paper bird in Yao's face.

"Fold it the other way," Yao said before returning to his own bird.

Tiao Zao corrected the mistake and passed the bird over to Mulan, who was puncturing each bird with a small hole and then passing it on to Shui Jing and Shang who were threading birds onto long pieces of string.

"This hurts my fingers," Ling whined, sucking a paper cut on his thumb. "I still stick with my painting of a mural,"

"That was a silly idea," Mushu said, pinching his bird's beak to bend them closer together. "This beak won't stop being fat!"

"Just leave it," Cri-Kee chirped, tying knots at the end of each piece of string to stop the birds falling off before taking another string from Shui Jing.

There was a knock on the door.

Everyone looked up as the Fa Li's maid entered the room. She looked exhausted but pleased.

"The baby has been born. I was sent to tell you by Madam Li,"

For a moment there was silence. Then, an explosion took place as everyone began to woop and cheer.

Mulan scooped Tiao Zao up into a hug as tears of relief and joy poured down her face. They were then flattened by Fung who picked them both up and squeezed them in a big bear hug.

Shang and Ling grasped hold of each other as Shui Jing jumped up and down with Yao, who was red and crying.

Mushu began blowing celebratory flames around the room, no one caring most of the furniture was wood or bamboo and there were paper birds lying around. Cri-Kee jumped up and down and hugged Mushu for delight.

-----

It was a tremendously excited group of people that burst into the doctor's room, everyone wearing strings of paper birds around their necks and waists as well as holding them in the their hands.

As soon as they opened the door to the room, Fa Li disappeared under the pile of people hugging her. The maid stood to one side, holding her hands together before Shui Jing hugged her and she too, began to cry.

The Emperor, Ming Hua, Tao, Jun Dui and Tian Shi hurried into the room and all began to laugh at the pile of people hugging Fa Li. The doctor stood at the back of the room, bending over the baby as was the other maid and both of them were ignoring the noise coming from the people surrounding Fa Li.

"Guys!" Shang, Tiao Zao and Mulan broke apart from the Fa Li crowd and ran over to the people standing by the door.

The Emperor hugged Mulan hard and continued to laugh as she placed two strings of paper birds around his neck.

Ming Hua gathered up his son in his arms and hugged him tightly, Tiao Zao's tears staining his shirt. After his father, too, had been decorated in paper birds, Tiao Zao joined Mulan in hugging Tao and throwing paper birds all over him.

Shang hugged his brother and placed a paper bird in his hat as Chien-Po bear-hugged his sister and tied paper birds around her waist.

Fa Li emerged from the swarm of Grandma Fa, Yao and Fung, completely covered in paper birds.

"Here she is," The doctor brought the baby over to Fa Li, who sat up and took the small, moving bundle from the doctor.

"It's a girl?" Fung whispered. The doctor nodded.

"We won the pot!" Ling and Fung cried, as Cri-Kee jumped up and down, his tongue out at Mushu.

"What pot?" Mulan asked him before Fa Li touched her arm.

"Look at her," Fa Li said and pulled the blanket back from the baby's face.

Thirteen people bent over the baby's face and smiled at her chubby cheeks, her flecks of dark hair and her piercing eyes, which were open and looking up at them.

"What are you going to call her?" Tian Shi asked Fa Li.

Fa Li looked to Mulan. "What are you going to call her?"

Mulan looked shocked. "No…I couldn't name her,"

"What are you going to call her?" Fa Li repeated, with no added emphasis.

Mulan bent over her baby sister and stroked her forehead. "Yu Pei," She whispered.

"That's beautiful," Shui Jing smiled.

"What's it mean?" Ling asked.

"'Jade Pendant'," Mulan replied, looking up at Tao, who gave her a wide smile.

"Hello Yu Pei," Everyone began cooing, clustering around the baby girl. "Hellooo!"

Yu Pei gurgled. Everyone burst out laughing and Ling held out his little finger, which Yu Pei grasped with her whole hand.

"She's precious," Ling whispered. He could feel tears welling up and quickly brushed them away with his other hand.

Tao stared, entranced, at his baby daughter. He had never seen anyone so beautiful and who brought so many emotions to the surface. He could not stop smiling; she looked so happy, so young and innocent. He hated the thought of her being born into a web of lies and hurt that was the relationship between him, the Fa family, the Huns and the Imperials.

"Tao?" Fa Li looked up at the father of her daughter. She sat up and held Yu Pei towards him.

Tao gave a shaky smile and reached forward to take the squirming bundle from her arms. He held his daughter close to him and slowly rocked her, as her brown ears stared up into his. He could feel his heart bursting, he had never felt so grown-up before.

He looked up to see everyone, even Shang, smiling at him. But he only had eyes for Yu Pei, his daughter and the most precious thing in his life.

An arrow shot through the crack in the window and pierced Fa Li in the heart. Her scream echoed around a silent room.

Yu Pei started crying.

Everyone's heads snapped up to the window, to see a Hun's ugly face grinning and his arm placing another arrow in his bow. Ever the soldier, Shang's fingers closed around his dagger and flung it at the Hun, before he was able to fly his bow. He fell back, two daggers in his neck. Shang looked around to see Fung's empty dagger sheath.

Shui Jing let out a shriek, as did Tian Shi.

Mushu leapt into Mulan's collar and sat there, quivering, as Cri-Kee took refuge in her pocket. She noticed neither of them, she was too busy staring at her dead mother's face.

Screams were heard from outside, the sound of breaking wood began to be heard.

"Get out!" Ling yelled. When no one replied, he yelled again. "Get out! Come on!" He ran pell-mell for the door, the rest of them after him.

Mulan stayed behind, clutching her mother's hand and weeping. Fung scooped an arm around her as Tao waited with Yu Pei and then they ran out the doctor's room.

It was pandemonium. Palace staff, advisors, visitors were running up and down the corridor. Fires had spread and were licking the walls.

"They haven't broken in yet!" Tao called over all the noise.

"This way!" Shang yelled, running the same way the Palace staff were fleeing. As they rounded the corridor, a much larger sound of wood breaking came to them, followed by the horrifying cries of yells of triumph.

"Are they Huns?" Tiao Zao cried to his father, who was holding him in his arms, tight-lipped and white. Ming Hua did not reply but followed the Emperor, who was surprisingly fast.

A scream that was much closer was heard from behind and everyone skidded to a halt, to stare behind at the form of Grandma Fa lying face down on the ground, an arrow in her back. Looking up, they saw a black wave of people running towards them.

Huns. There must have been fifty of them coming towards them, firing flaming arrows.

"Get out the way!" Shang pushed Shui Jing down as an arrow flew over her head and struck the wall, setting fire to the walls. Being made of wood, they shot up into flame instantly, blocking one corridor for them to escape by.

"Mulan!" Tao called to her. She did not stop but slowed as Tao raced up to her and thrust Yu Pei in her arms. "Lead the women to someplace safe,"

"What?" She yelled hysterically, stopping. "No! I'm not leaving you, you can't fight all of them by yourselves!"

The Emperor grabbed a screaming Yu Pei out of Mulan's arms and forced her into Shui Jing's arms, who clutched her tightly and ran with Tian Shi. "Don't let them see her with you! Don't let them know the Fa line is continued!" He cried at her, before grabbing her arm and dragging her down the corridor.

Tao watched her go before joining Jun Dui, Shang, Chien-Po, MingHua, Yao, Ling and Fung fight the oncoming Huns.

Chien-Po sliced a Hun in half with his sword, snatched up his dead opponent's sword and threw it into another oncoming Hun's heart. He fell and Chien-Po ran past him, snatched up the sword and carried on fighting.

Yao was parrying blows from a ferocious Hun before the Hun fell forwards onto Yao, crushing him. Ling stood over the dead Hun, looking pleased with himself before dragging its corpse off Yao, who got up and glared at Ling before grinning and hurrying off.

Fung and Jun Dui were excellent fighters and polishing them off if they were in arms reach. Jun Dui parried blows with a Hun before Fung struck him in the heart.

Shang and Ming Hua had both snatched up Hun's quivers and bows and were using them to push back the driving force of Huns. Ming Hua was excellent with a bow and was able, more than once, to shoot a Hun that was about to strike one of his friends.

Just when they thought they were winning and started to retreat, another wave of Huns came down upon them.

An arrow struck Ming Hua in the back and he fell to the ground. The rest of them were too busy to notice their friend had fallen but when they did notice, it was too late. The six of them ran down the corridor before an arrow was fired and Fung fell, clutching his stomach.

"Fung!" Shang cried and ran back to his childhood friend.

Fung looked weakly up at him. "What are you doing here? Run before they take you too!"

Shang's eyes moistened. "No…no! I can't leave you here!" He grabbed hold of Fung's arms and started to drag him, handling him with the care of a sack of potatoes.

A hailstorm of arrows battered down upon them, striking Shang in the leg. He pulled it out and Fung laid a hand on him.

"Go. Go on," Fung said. "Don't waste your time here,"

Shang looked at his friend and began to weep. He bent his head and kissed Fung's forehead before running, without looking back.

"Halt!" The Huns had caught up with Fung's body and one of them stepped forward.

"He is an Imperial," Another Hun said. "Kill him!"

The rest of the Huns cheered but the first Hun held up his hand. He reached forward and pulled Fung up by his cape.

"Do you know Fa Mulan?" He rasped.

"Yes I do," Fung replied shakily. His breath caught in his throat and he winced.

"Is the child alive?" He demanded, shaking Fung so his head flailed from side to side.

"What child?" He spat, summoning all the anger he could and making his speech sound threatening.

"You know which child I speak of," The Hun drove a dagger into Fung's leg and he cried out, gasping out in pain. He felt cold but he wasn't going to show weakness in front of his enemy. "Is the child alive?"

"No," Fung hissed. "It died when it was born,"

"That's true," One Hun said. "We found a dead child in the doctor's room,"

Fung pursed his lips, remembering the lady and her still-born child. He blinked and gasped in pain.

"Well, we have no more need for this one then," The Hun barred his teeth in Fung's face before punching a hole in the wood walls. "Goodbye," He laughed before flinging Fung out the hole.

Fung bounced on a lower balcony before crashing into the rail. Blood trickled out his head and he lay still, no longer breathing or blinking. His eyes glassed over and the sword he had been holding fell from his limp fingers. Yet, there on his face was a smile, a pure smile of happiness.

-----

Tian Shi, holding Yu Pei, ran down the corridor before screeching to a halt. The Emperor, Shui Jing and Mulan crashed into her. They could hear Huns coming towards them. They were in the middle of a crossroads.

Mulan hurriedly turned to Shui Jing, Tian Shi and the Emperor.

"Shui Jing, take Yu Pei and look after her for me. They cannot know she is a Fa. Bring her up as if she were your own child and do not tell her about her parentage and history. Please, do this for me," She begged. Shui Jing nodded and hugged Mulan tightly. She held Yu Pei up to Mulan, who bent over her sister and kissed her before turning to a crying Tian Shi and hugging her too.

"Don't look back," Mulan whispered to them. "Don't you look back,"

Shui Jing looked at her and smiled. "Thank you for everything Mulan. Everything ever since you rescued me from the snow," She gave her one last smile before running to the right with Tian Shi and Yu Pei.

She stood watching, as her family ran away from her, screaming at the noise. All the Fa family were now gone.

She looked at the Emperor. She read his mind and hugged him hard.

"Do not cry for me. I am old and I must go some day. You brightened up my life Mulan, for which I am thankful," The Emperor smiled and stroked her hair. "Now run,"

Mulan nodded and ran to the left, looking back just once. It was the first time she had run from open battle and it was strange but it was even stranger that she was alone.

She could not block out the commotion behind her. She could hear the Huns interrogating the Emperor, they hadn't seen her run away. Then it happened. She heard a blade whistling through the air and then a cry was heard a thud. Mulan wept as she cried, the father figure when hers was not there was gone, gone and nothing could bring him back. Nothing could bring the Emperor, Yu Pei, her mother, Grandma Fa, her father…anyone back. They were gone, all the protection she had ever had. She was more alone now than ever.

It was a dead end. Nowhere else to go, Mulan ran into a room and shut the door, leaning against it and breathing heavily.

She had entered a ballroom. It was tremendously large, beautifully decorated with paintings and furniture but none of it mattered to her. She did not see the pretty ornamental china ladies in the cornor, she felt none of it mattered. The beauty of the world had been stripped from her eyes and all she could see were four walls, a floor and a ceiling.

She tried to block out the screams and fighting she could hear. A stirring in her collar made her look down as Mushu and Cri-Kee climbed out and looked at her.

"They've come for me Mushu," She said quietly. The noises were now becoming louder

"Be brave honey," Mushu whispered, wiping her tears. "We'll never be apart. I'll always be your guardian," He hugged her as tightly as she could as Cri-Kee hugged her too. Two more protectors.

The door broke and heavy footsteps thundered on the floor. Mulan turned slowly.

Huns filed in, organised and in lines. Fifty must have filed in before a Hun stepped forward.

"I am a Chi," The man said.

"I know of the history between our families," Mulan said, with no expression in her voice.

The Hun did not want to waste anymore time evidently. He raised his bow and pointed it at Mulan, who stood her ground and did not waver.

The arrow flew slowly from the bow and whistled through the air as the door burst open and Tao, Shang, Yao, Chien-Po and Ling ran in. They did not look at the Huns and they did not look at them either. All eyes were focused on the arrow that hit Mulan, not quite in her heart.

"NO!" Tao bellowed. The world fell down upon him. His blood turned to ice and, to his eyes, it took an age for Mulan to fall to the ground. Yet, she fell gracefully, curving around before lying down on the ground, her eyes shut and her face as peaceful as if she were asleep.

Shang, Chien-Po, Yao and Ling cried out in horror. They all ran forwards to her body as the Huns left the room. The Hun who shot her turned to Shang before he left.

"No more blood will be shed tonight. Not now," He left the room as someone else entered.

Blood stained and wearing ripped clothes, Tiao Zao stood in the doorway, staring at Mulan's body and the group around her. He did not move, he did not cry and he made no attempt to stop the Hun who killed her from passing. He simply stood there as if he were stone.

-----

"Mulan?" Tao gathered her up in his arms and bent over her. "Mulan, wake up. Please, please wake up," His tears were falling thick and fast and he held her body tightly.

Shang and Yao gripped each other. Shang felt like he was dying inside, he could not imagine his life with Mulan. He couldn't picture his life with her, life without her was just…unimaginable. He looked forward so much to seeing her everyday, to hear her laugh, to see her smile. He broke down and collapsed.

Ling held Mushu and Cri-Kee tightly on his shoulder, the scene crushing all three of them. They had all seen death before but nothing hurt them like this.

Chien-Po sat behind them, crying weakly, while humming a chant to pass her soul smoothly to her Ancestors. He could feel the tears wanting, waiting to fall but he did not let them, he couldn't. Not now. One last moment of weakness, he had to avoid. She had been so strong for him and now, he could repay her and be strong for her.

"Tao?" A weak voice came from Mulan's pale lips.

"Mulan?" Tao gasped and looked down at her white face. She shut her eyes. "No! No! Don't leave me, no, Mulan, please…I can't go on without you!" He wiped tears away from his cheeks as she opened her eyes again.

Shang, Ling, Yao, Mushu and Cri-Kee moved back, to give Tao some space. Now, they all knew how Mulan and Tao felt about each other. Shang had accepted that, now, when it was needed the most.

"It's over," She smiled. "I saved China again. It's over. The Huns won't attack now. The Fa line is ended," She smiled to herself and drew a shuddering breath. "Almost,"

"Yu Pei?" Tao asked her gently.

"I've given her to Ling and Shui Jing," She whispered. "I want them to bring her up, so she doesn't know she is a Fa. Then, this'll all happen again,"

Tao nodded. "That's fine. I won't let this happen again,"

"I know you won't," She said, her voice getting fainter and fainter. "I know you'll not let my death be in vain,"

Tao grasped her hand and kissed it. She smiled.

"I love you," She whispered.

"I love you too," Tao bent over her and kissed her briefly, for he felt her shudder. He pulled back and looked at her face. It was lifeless, white and still.

Tao reached over and shut her eyes, marvelling at her soft skin and how it still shone. He stared at her, wanting to gather everything he knew about her together, in one last attempt to pull her closer to him but he couldn't. There was still so much unknown about her but now, just knowing her was enough.

Slowly, the pendant began to fall. Everyone in the room from Tao to Tiao Zao, watched as it fell slowly through the air. It touched the floor and shattered into a thousand tiny fragments of jade, its green colour shining brightly.

The last protector of China had gone but she had so many to protect her.

Fung, who fell protecting her and her line.

The Emperor, who gave her time to run.

Her mother, who gave birth to her sister and carrying on the line.

Her father, who protected her from harm when she was young.

Her grandmother, who understood her and protected her when she was young.

All the people so privileged to know her protected her, and she did for them. None of them knew the riddles about her, none of them knew all her secrets, but now, just to know her was enough.

And the jade sparkled.


End file.
